Konoha Academy: Opposites Attract
by jellydonut16
Summary: AU Tomomi and Deidara are opposites. Will she keep her 'cool', or will she crack under the pressures of being a teenager and being Sakura's cousin? Insanity, please; shaken not stirred. Proof that opposites attract. DeidaraxOC Read&Review!
1. Chapter 1: Konoha Academy

**Konoha Academy: A Teenage Love Story**

Sunlight shone through my window and directly in my face. I slowly woke up, squinting at my alarm clock. It read: 7:28. Slowly sitting up, I stretched my body and got up. After a quick shower, I took a good look at my uniform, which was hanging in front of my dresser. My eye slightly twitched at the thought of having to wear that today, a private school uniform. Rubbing my already aching head, I put it on. It consisted of a blue jacket, a white long-sleeved dress shirt, a blue knee-length plaid skirt, white socks and black leather shoes. Oh, it also had this _ridiculous_ bow you had to put on around your neck, too.

Once I was done with getting dressed I took a brief moment to fix my obnoxiously bright scarlet shoulder-length hair and apply a thin layer of lip gloss. I put my backpack on and go downstairs to the dining room. There, I see Aunt Chizu eating a croissant.

"Good morning, Aunt Chizu-sama." I politely said, bowing my head a little. She didn't look at me and simply said, "Good morning, child. You must eat your breakfast," I took my seat on the table and grabbed a piece of bread. Aunt Chizu then slapped my hand and harshly told me to learn manners. I simply looked at my hands, which lay on my lap as I took the scolding with a straight face. Then, the sounds of high heels echoed throughout room. _My cousin…_ I thought to myself, slightly cringing at the thought of her so early in the morning.

"Good morning, mother; …_Tomomi_," Sakura said, beaming at Aunt Chizu but glaring at me.

"Good morning, darling," Aunt Chizu said, pulling Sakura in for a hug. "_Ahem… _Tomomi, isn't there something you need to say?" They both glared at me expectantly.

"Good morning, Sakura-san." I politely said to the pinkette, looking at her for only a brief second. She smirked in triumph as she sat across my seat. Sakura snapped her fingers and in a split-second, a maid walked in, a dish in hand.

"Here is your salad, Sakura-sama!" the maid said with a shaky voice, carefully setting the plate before my cousin and promptly walking back to the kitchen quickly. I quickly ate my breakfast and left the Haruno manor and waited outside the gates. _Where are they? _I irritably thought to myself. As if on cue, a red Volkswagen van stopped right in front of me. I got in and turned to my friends, Temari, Kankuro and Gaara.

"Ooh, nice uniform Tomomi!" Kankuro teased, grinning at me before continuing driving me to school.

"Augh, why can't you guys transfer to my school already?" I grumbled, crossing my arms.

"But Tomomi, you _know _we can't!" Temari said, putting on some blush. "Why can't _you _just transfer to Suna Institute then?"

I sighed deeply. "You know… it's because of my aunt and my cousin!"

"How are things going with your cousin, anyway?" Gaara suddenly spoke up, leaning in to turn on the radio. A rock sing immediately came on. "Ugh, it's been _terrible_! I honestly don't know why she hates me so much…" I said, rubbing my temples.

After a few minutes of conversation, Kankuro stopped in front of a giant building. "Woah," Temari said under her breath. "Good luck," Gaara said to me, giving me a hug. Then, I also hugged Temari and Kankuro. I got out of the car and watched them leave… then, I walked inside the school, just as a black limo pulled in. _It's Sakura-sama… _I thought, walking with increased pace. _Please don't let her see me, please don't let her see me; please don't let her see me! _I thought to myself, trying to conceal myself (and my hair) as much as I could.

"Hey, Tomomi!"

Damn it.

I hesitantly turned to her, grinning sheepishly. "Hello, Sakura-sama," She gave me one of her dirty looks and walked away. As soon as she was out of ear-shot, I muttered a string of swears under my breath and glared at my scarlet and orange hair for being such an attention whore. I turned around and started to walk down the hall, not looking where I was going because I was looking at my feet instead. I nervously wrung my hands together before bumping into someone, making both of us fall to the ground.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't look where I was going," I rambled, looking up at the person. _Oh, wow… _I thought to myself, feeling blood rush to my cheeks. He was _gorgeous_… He had long blond hair tied up into half-pony tail and parted hair which covered his left eye. An aqua blue eye glared at me.

"Next time, why don't you look where you're going, yeah?" He angrily said to me, standing up and dusting his pants. I practically rolled my eyes. I stopped blushing at the evident jerk and walked off, muttering an insincere apology.

I walked to the main office and retrieved my schedule and locker from principal Tsunade. What I ever thought she looked like was way different that what she really looks like. I'd have expected a strict, old woman with glasses, hair in a tight bun and a sharp expression with an attitudinal problem, but I wouldn't have guessed that the principal was a young looking woman with a _really _big bust. And when I talked with her, I _swear_ I smelled sake in the room… Or was I just going crazy?

_Bring! Bring!_

I heard the bell ring for our first class with our homeroom teacher, Hatake Kakashi, who was also our science teacher. When I got to the classroom, I expected the teacher to give me detention for being tardy, but he wasn't even in the room yet! As I scanned the room, I found my cousin flirting with some guy… and _him_. No, no, no! We _can't possibly _be in the same class together! I took a seat next to a chubby guy eating potato chips.

"Hi, I'm Chōji Akimichi," said Chōji, offering his hand to me to shake. I grinned at him, shaking his hand. "I'm Tomomi Hayashi!" I said, discreetly wiping my hand on my skirt after. After shaking his hand, I mean. Because his hand was oily. And hey! Don't look at me like that, it's not like I have something on… big-boned people! People are still people, they have feelings. So don't judge anyone without getting to know them inside! If only my cousin could say the same…

"Good morning, class," A voice interrupted me from my thoughts, bringing my eyes to a silver-haired man, with hair covering his left eye, wearing a sanitary mask and holding an orange book up. "Write who you dislike the most in this class," he said, reading the book. "Submit it to me and after, I'll arrange your partners for the entire term."

I squinted, trying to read his book's title. It read: _Icha Icha Paradise_. Hey, wait a minute, I've heard of that book before! I racked my mind for something about that orange book, and it suddenly clicked: my homeroom teacher was reading porn in _public_! Yuck, that's so perverted! Shaking the thoughts away, I pulled out a small piece of paper and wrote my name on it and pondered a bit… _Who do I dislike the most in this class? _Well obviously, I dislike Sakura and that blonde guy, but if word ever got out that I wrote that I disliked Sakura and Aunt Chizu heard of it… man. I don't even _want _to mention what Aunt Chizu would do to me. So instead, since I didn't know that blonde guy's name, I wrote: _'That blonde guy with the long hair and blue eyes.' _and sent it in to the teacher.

Once everybody handed in theirs in, Kakashi-sensei took the time to choose our most suitable partners. As he started saying, who was partners with whom, groans and complaints were heard throughout the classroom. Obviously, I was curious to why complaining until I heard Kakashi-sensei say:

"Tomomi Hayashi, your partner is Iwa no Deidara."

Then, it made _perfect _sense.

Damn it.

**So that was my first chapter of my first story. Hope that it wasn't **_**too **_**bad! Please read and review if I need to improve on anything. Thank you!**

**~JellyDonut16~**


	2. Chapter 2: A Rocky Start

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

A Rocky Start

Okay, I'll admit that I was confused at first. I didn't know who Deidara was. But now, thanks to Chōji, I do. Deidara's that blonde guy who was rude to me this morning! Gritting my teeth, I grabbed my bag and walked over to Deidara, who glared at me. I sat down beside him and took my pencil case out. Clearing my throat, I turned to him with a not-so-genuine smile on my face. _Might as well give this a shot… _I thought to myself.

"Hi! I know we got on a bad start, so I just want to apologize for bumping into you like that. I'm Tomomi!" I said, stretching my hand out for him to shake. He raised a single eyebrow at me. Then, he turned around, completely ignoring me. _Jerk! _I fumed in my head, trying to keep calm.

"Remember, class; if you don't hand in your work in time, the both of you will be graded equally. So I suggest you do your work in time. That means you, Naruto." Kakashi said, looking at a blonde, who I now know as Naruto. Sitting beside the noisy blonde was Sakura, dramatically coving her ears. She wore an expression that looked like she was in complete agony. That or she needs to pee. You pick.

"Class, today we have two new students! Can you two please raise your hand?" Kakashi said, looking at me. Sakura flipped her long pink hair and confidently raised her hand. I saw Deidara, out of the corner of my eye, raising an eyebrow at her, with a slight smirk playing on his face. Rolling my eyes at him, I raised my hand.

"I'm Sakura Haruno! You can call me Sakura. I aim to be student body president, head cheerleader and take the lead role in a play, all in one year!" Sakura said, grinning at everyone. She sat down and the room fell silent. Seriously, you could even hear a pin drop!

"Ow!" I cried out because that baka Deidara jabbed me in the side. "Introduce yourself, you _idiot_…" He whispered, glaring at me. Glaring back at him, I stood up and took a deep breath. "I'm Tomomi Hayashi. I like music… yeah." I sat back down, trying to cover the blush rapidly appearing on my face. Whispering erupted in the room before Kakashi-sensei resumed teaching again.

By the end of class, I was well way beyond _pissed_. That stupid Deidara did absolutely _nothing _and now, his idiot fangirls are glaring daggers at me. Not that I really give a damn.

Next class was history, so I got my books from my locker and got to class, avoiding glares from Deidara's fangirls.

"_Good morning, class_! It makes me so proud to have another youthful year with you again!"

"Yosh, I agree, Gai-sensei!"

"Lee, my youthful student!"

"Gai!"

"Lee!"

"Gai!"

My eye slightly twitched at the sight before me. _N-Nani? They're hugging? And… are they actually crying? _I looked around the room. The only seat available was one beside a guy wearing a swirly orange mask. I sat beside him, placing my books on the desk in front of me.

"Hi! I'm Tobi!" The masked guy said, grabbing my hand and vigorously shaking it. "Hi, I'm Tomomi…" I said, grinning at Tobi. "Tobi's never seen you here before! Is Tomomi new here?" Why he was speaking in third-person, I will never know. "Yes, yes I am." I said, chuckling a little. "Does Tomomi have any friends here?" Tobi asked me as Gai-sensei wrote up a storm on the poor blackboard.

"No," I replied, looking at him briefly before I resumed writing down notes. "Does Tomomi want to sit with Tobi and Tobi's friends?" The masked man asked me in a surprisingly gentle tone. _Maybe he thought I had no friends in this world at all…_ I pondered before agreeing to sit with him and his friends. I mean, how bad could it possibly be?

It was kind of fun hanging with Tobi; emphasis on "_kind of"_.

_Bring! Bring!_

I walked out of the classroom, clutching my books to myself as Tobi tagged along behindme.

"What's Tomomi-chan's next class?" Tobi asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

"My next class is… math." I replied, grinning at him. Then, Tobi started running circles around me. (What the hell?) "Yay! Tomomi-chan will finally get to meet Tobi's senpai!" Tobi's senpai, eh? Well this should be interesting.

I can't believe it... It's _him_... "Deidara-senpai!" Tobi squealed, carrying the blonde and running around the classroom. "What the hell, yeah? _Put me down_, Tobi!" Deidara growled out, hitting Tobi's back with scrunched up fists. Then, a woman with black hair and red eyes entered the room. _That must be Kurenai-sensei! _I thought, walking over to her to greet her and introduce myself. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Kurenai-sensei, I'm—_what the hell?_" Tobi! He was dragging me off by my coat away from the teacher. "Come on, Tomomi-chan! Time to meet Deidara-senpai!" He said as I muttered a string of curses under my breath.

"It's _you_!" Deidara and I said to each other in unison. He glared at Tobi. "What the hell is _she _doing here, yeah?"

"Deidara-senpai, this is Tobi's new friend, Tomomi-chan!" The blonde looked at me with slight disbelief. "_You _actually talked to Tobi? Then again, it _is _you, hmm..."

"What was that supposed to mean?" He smirked at me and sat down on a desk. "Come, Tomomi-chan! Sit with Tobi and senpai!" Tobi exclaimed, motioning me to come over. "Tobi, no, I can't! Each table seats only two people—_aah!_" Tobi _actually _carried me over to his seat and set me down on it. What the _hell _is with this guy and carrying random people? Maybe he wants to be a bouncer in the future or something... Kami forbid that he practices using me.

For math, I found myself squeezed between both _him _and Tobi as Kurenai-sensei started to teach us about denominators. As I was the only one listening, Tobi made paper airplanes and Deidara flirted with someof his fangirls. Then eventually, he got bored of them and started to draw a mouth on his hand that looked very realistic... and very creepy. Tobi continued playing around before Kurenai-sensei confiscated his paper airplane and sent him to principal Tsunade for troublesome behaviour.

An uncomfortable silence fell on us as he stared at me with a blank expression.

"_Why _are you staring at me like that?" I asked Deidara with a hint of annoyance in my voice.

"Your hair, un," He stated, as if it were the most obvious thing since: 1 + 1= 2.

"And what about my hair?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It reminds me of an explosion, yeah!" he exclaimed, grinning at me.

What the hell?

"Wh-Wha—? Why?" I sputtered out, seriously considering moving to Suna Institute due to all the nut jobs here. Seriously, an _explosion_? I may have bad hair days on the slight occasion but it never is _that _bad!

He rolled his eyes at me and said, "Because it's such a vibrant shade of red, yeah! Doesn't that remind you of explosions and fire?"

"...Maybe. A little. I don't know." I replied, honestly confused with the way he's talking about my _hair _of all the things we could ever talk about.

We stayed silent for a few seconds.

"What is your view on art, un?"

"_What_?"

"What is your opinion on all art?"

Well... that's a deep question.

"Art... I don't know... It's like life. You can never really appreciate something once it's gone, I guess..." I rambled, refusing to look at him. He must think I'm an idiot! Wait, _why _do I care if he thinks I'm an idiot or not? I stole a glance and found him grinning at me. "Exactly, yeah!"

"Art... is an _explosion_!" He said, getting slightly starry-eyed.

"Uh... okay."

_Bring! Bring!_

I smiled to myself. _Lunch time._

**How was it? Did it suck? Ah, I hope that I can actually make this story work! But for now... please R&R, even though I know there's practically **_**nothing**_** in the story to review about. Haha. BUT STILL! Please review on my grammar. Gomen if my grammar sucks. I am merely 14.**

**~JellyDonut16~**


	3. Chapter 3: Lunch with the Akatsuki!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Lunch with the Akatsuki!

I grabbed my books and walked to the door with some bounce in my step. _I'm starving! _I thought to myself. Yeah, yeah, I had breakfast this morning but I just ate a piece of bread and a glass of orange juice before hightailing it out of the manor. Then, my mind started to wander to what kind of food was available in the cafeteria. Going to my locker, I kept my books inside and grabbed my wallet. Putting it in my jacket pocket, I closed my locker and walked down the crowded hallway. When I finally reached the cafeteria, the appetizing smell of food attacked my nose. I couldn't help myself but dash for the line, grabbing a tray. In front of me, I saw an array of food you would probably see in a 3-star restaurant's buffet. _This school isn't too bad after all! _I chirped to myself, grabbing a bottle of iced water. Yeah, you guessed right; I like eating food. Who doesn't? Well, maybe Sakura… She strictly eats _no_ sugar, _no_ carbs, _no_ fat… Well, if she's forced to, she _does _put a 2100 calorie limit. How does anyone _do _that? Your body _needs _sugar, carbs and fat! Oh, I get it… So _that's _why she orders so many fur coats from Italy… But I seriously doubt that Italy is even that cold.

I next grabbed a plate and gave it to a non-scary looking lunch lady. "What'll you have, sweetie?" she asked me, gesturing to the array of foods there. "Uh… uh… I'll have 2 slices of pepperoni pizza, please!" I said, as my eyes slightly widened at all the food. She put the pizza on my plate and gave it to me. "You pay there," she said, pointing in the direction of where the cashier is. I nodded and putting some oregano on my pizza. I grabbed a pack of chocolate pudding and paid for my food.

_Now… where to sit? _I pondered, scanning the area for an empty table so I can fulfill the term 'The Loner New Kid'.

"Tomomi-chan" I heard a familiar voice shout out. "Tomomi-chan, over here!" I looked in the direction of the voice and couldn't help but smile. _Tobi! _I exclaimed in my head. I walked to Tobi's table where Deidara and 8 others were sitting at. "Everyone! Pein, Konan-chan, Zetsu, Itachi, Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, this is Tobi and Deidara-senpai's new friend, Tomomi-chan!" Tobi said, all in one breath. And, _woah_, that was a mouthful. Tobi proceeded to take another deep breath.

"Tomomi-chan, meet Pein, Konan-chan, Zetsu, Itachi, Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu and Sasori!" He said, pointing at each person as he said their names. "Here! Sit!" Tobi said, patting on an empty spot next to the person I now knew as Sasori. "Tobi, what did I tell you…" Pein said through gritted teeth, glaring at Tobi calmly. He sheepishly rubbed his head and shrugged his shoulders. "B-but…" he started, standing up from his seat and bringing Pein somewhere as he started to talk. Then, everyone at the table stared at me. Feeling very conscious and very small, I instinctively hunched my shoulders and poked at my food. Tobi and Pein came back from wherever they came from and Pein said in a powerful voice. "Everyone, Tomomi is now a member of the Akatsuki," My eyes widened at being a member of something. _Akatsuki must be the name of this group! _I stated, processing this in my head.

"It's about time we had another female member!" Konan spoke up, smiling at me.

"_She's _a member of the Akatsuki now? And what did she do to deserve it, un?" Deidara protested, glaring at me. I glared back, only with a smirk instead of a scowl. But then again, I'm also curious to know why I'm in the Akatsuki now. "Tomomi, do you have any talents?" Sasori asked, slightly smiling at me. "Well… I play the guitar and sing, so…" I replied, shrugging my shoulders a bit. "Cool," he said, smiling at me.

By the time lunch time was ending, I pretty much got along with the Akatsuki members. But seriously, why does Hidan have to swear so much? If he were on T.V. and if you censored out every swear word he said, all you'd hear would be: _Beep_. Well, with the exception of 'why you little' and 'you stupid', I mean. Itachi was quiet; really quiet. In fact, I think that his vocabulary count wouldn't exceed a thousand at the very least. I mean, yeah, he replies when asked but most his answers consist one syllable. Kisame, on the other hand, was a joker, always arguing with Hidan about random stuff. It was pretty funny, I'll have to admit. He's pretty nice, too! Kakuzu is really stingy; Zetsu is… I don't know. He just kind of creeps me out. Konan is really friendly and ethereal-like; Pein, in a way, is like he's cut out to be a great leader. Yeah, he also has _a lot _of piercings.

"Damn it! I've got f*cking science next period. F*ck! Damn it," Hidan swore under his breath, pushing anyone who got in his way. As the rest walked off, Konan stayed with me.

"Let's go to the comfort rooms," she said to me, pulling my arm in the direction of the comfort rooms.

When we went inside the comfort room, we saw a red haired girl crying there. "What's wrong?" I asked, stepping closer to the girl. She wiped her eyes and straightened herself. "That's none of your concern," she said, splashing some water on her face. I glanced at Konan and Konan went up to her. "Karin... who did it?" she said in a soft voice, placing a hand on her shoulder. "T-that b*tchy new girl, S-Sakura!" the red head I now knew as Karin said, burying her face in her hands. "That pink-haired sl*t was hitting on Sasuke-kun! _My _Sasuke-kun!" Typical Sakura. I slowly shook my head as I recalled all the boyfriends she's had before.

"But Karin, you're not his girlfriend..." Konan gently said. _Nani? If she's not his girlfriend, then... _"I know! All I ever will be to Sasuke-kun is a stupid fangirl!" Konan looked at me with pleading eyes. Clearing my throat, I spoke up, "Karin, I can help you, you know? I mean, _so what _if Sakura's my cousin? I know how she is,"

"R-really?" asked Karin.

"Well, of course! She's had a lot of boyfriends before... All a certain type. You know what? I can help you," I snapped my fingers smirking at Karin. "What's this Sasuke-kun of yours like?" Karin's eyes then became all misty as she gushed on and on and on about how 'hot, dangerous, smart and sexy' he was. Konan cleared her throat, making Karin pause for a while. "I meant his personality," I said, washing my hands.

I stood silent for a moment, taking this newfound knowledge in.

"Oh."

"Tomomi, Sasuke's is a typical cold bad boy type. Cold; doesn't talk to anyone; smart; and is as cocky just as he is smart." Konan explained, shrugging her shoulders a bit. i started to think about the consequences if Sakura and Aunt Chizu find out I'm trying to get back at them... Then, I thought about Karin... _She's got a typical case of Fangirl Syndrome, _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back. You could practically hear the gears running in my head. "Cool," I said after a moment's thinking session. "I _think _I know how I can get Karin together with Sasuke!"

"_Really?_" Karin asked, rushing over to me and dramatically shaking my shoulder. "Y-yeah! But... it won't be easy, I can tell you that," I said with a serious face.

"_But_ before we do anything, I'll have to do some... erm, 'human observation' so I can formulate a plan. Plus, we can't just talk here where somebody can hear us," Drying my hands thoroughly with tissue paper, Konan, Karin and I walked out and went our separate ways.

_Believe me, Sakura. I'm getting even for everything you've ever done to me and all of those other girls._

**How was it? Did it suck? Sorry if it wasn't too entertaining or eventful; the story has yet to begin! Yeah, yeah, the beginning ain't that good but wait until the later chaper, where there's more of a plot! BELIEVE IT!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Thank you **_**so much **_**for all of the nice reviews! Right now, I'm currently formulating a plot for this story. Thanks again!**


	4. Chapter 4: Gym Class

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I own only the OC, Tomomi.**

Gym Class

_Bring! Bring!_

_Time for gym class! _I thought to myself, grabbing my gym bag from my locker. Walking down the hall, I wondered if anyone I knew was also going to be in that class. I threw the gym's doors open and cringed. _Sakura…_

THUD

"Ouch!" I cried, rubbing my head. Gym class is _hell_. But not for Sakura! Oh, _no_, she _loves _gym class, because she gets to hit my head with the volleyball! I growled to myself, clenching my fists. I glanced to find Sakura, smirking victoriously and put my hand to my forehead. _GROW UP! _I fumed angrily in my head. Anko-sensei blew her whistle and we all got into our positions. _It's not fair… _I thought to myself, getting ready to spike the ball. Anko-sensei _literally _chose all the best ones in volleyball and made them one team and the other ones who weren't as good got to be in the other. The other team, I mean.

By the time gym class ended, everyone was ordered to shower. Since I got all paranoid that Sakura was up to something that had something to do with my uniform, I took my gym bag with me to a shower cell. Note to self: use water-proof gym bags if they even exist.

I opened my locker and shoved my gym bag inside with grace. Then, I slammed it shut. Next class was… art! I walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the art room. Opening the door, I scanned the room for a familiar face. Ngh. What is _he _doing here? YES, whenever I mention _him_, I add emphasis to _his _name. Yep, he was right there, sitting by the windows and hitting on girls. I rolled my eyes and searched for an open seat farthest from him and sat next to a guy with spiky black hair in a pony tail.

"How troublesome…" I heard him mutter under his breath.

"Tell me about it," I said without thinking. As soon as I realized I said it, my eyes widened slightly in embarrassment. The guy turned to me and smirked. "Heh… I'm Nara Shikamaru," he said, stretching his hand out. I shook it and grinned, "I'm Hayashi Tomomi, by the way…"

"So you must be Sakura's cousin?"

"Yeah… how'd you know?"

"She told us."

"Oh… what else did she say about me?" I asked, slightly cringing and at the same time, wanting to know yet not wanting to know what she said about me.

"Things I'm sure that weren't true." he replied, smiling a little.

The art teacher started teaching us about different types of arts from the greatest artists around the world. Those of Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Michelangelo, Andy Warhol… But Deidara disagreed with just about… oh, I don't know, EVERYTHING the teacher said about art. I watched him kissing with 2 girls on either side of him in class IN FRONT OF THE TEACHER'S FACE, BY THE WAY. _WHAT do they SEE in him?_

"It's probably the looks, you know," Shikamaru commented. I put my hand on my mouth as my eyes widened in embarrassment. _Did I say that… OUT LOUD? _

"Yes, you did."

I glared at Shikamaru as he slightly chuckled, turning to the teacher. After a moment's staring at _Deidara _in disgust, I did the same.

_Bring! Bring!_

YES, just one more class! I grabbed my books and bid Shikamaru goodbye. I walked out of the room and took my schedule out of my pocket. _Advanced calculus? Oh, HELL, no! _I frantically thought because… to be honest, I SUCK at calculus. I stopped by my locker again and took my _ridiculously _thick advanced calculus book out. Walking down the hall, I ran into Sakura and her new 'friends'.

"Hello, _Tomomi_!" she said in a sickeningly sweet tone that was too 'sweet' for my liking. Behind her was a brunette, a blonde and a midnight-blue haired girl. "Sakura-san," I said, bowing my head a little. She smirked at me and asked, "Have you made any friends yet, Tomomi?" Shrugging my shoulders, I replied, "Yeah… I'm in this group called Akatsuki,"

"Ino-pig!" Sakura called out, keeping her eyes on me. The blonde sauntered over and put her hands on her hips. "The Akatsuki is this really popular group of people who, like, think they're so cool! And they're, like, really strict about who they let in their group! How _she _got in on her first day, I will never know… I mean, like, _serious_-LAY, Ten Ten's been waiting a whole year to get in! And it's, like, SO _NOT_ fair—"

"Shut up, Ino…"

"Eep! Okay… b*tch…" Ino squealed, muttering that last part. Sakura sized me up as she glared at me. "Don't lie, Tomomi," She said, smirking. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Believe me, I'm not."

"But the Akatsuki would never even _talk _to you! They _NEVER _let people outside their group to join!" the brunette protested glaring at me. "Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes and walking into the classroom.

"Looks like we're in the same class, _Tomomi_," Ino hissed in my ear as Sakura and the other girls she hangs out with walk (sashayed) in and put their hands on their hips and looked around the classroom.

"Tomomi! Over here!" I heard Konan say. And there she was, in her ethereal blue-haired glory, sitting next to Karin.

"Oh my Kami," I heard Ino and Ten Ten say in unison. I walked over to them and sat next to Konan. "So… after school, how about we hit the mall?" Konan suggested, folding a piece of paper neatly in half.

"Sorry guys, I have band practice with my friends… How about you come with us? We could always use an audience and an opinion! And after that, we can all go to the mall and find a bite to eat, ne?" I suggested, setting my books on the table. "Awesome! You're in a band! Karin, you gonna come?" Karin just squealed and nodded. "Cool! They're gonna pick me up after school,"

"But Tomomi, I can't leave my car in school!" Konan said, giving me a paper flower. "Oh… maybe you can… follow us?" "Okay, sure!" Konan answered, giggling a little. "SASUKE-KUN!" Karin suddenly shouted out, holding a hand to her heart. I followed her line of vision to find a raven haired guy walking towards Naruto. "Oi, teme!" "Dobe," he said, smirking a little. _So that's Sasuke… _I thought to myself, looking at him. Oh, I can see why Karin likes him so much. He's HOT. No! No, snap out of it, me! I bit my lip, trying to suppress my blush. To calm myself, I thought about Deidara, how much of a jerk he was and how much Sakura treated me badly… but that's all gonna change. I, Hayashi Tomomi, promise to hook Karin up with Sasuke.

"Tomomi, help!" Konan cried out, as she tried to restrain Karin from getting to Sasuke. "Karin, snap out of it!" I cried, shaking her shoulders vigorously. "Calm down, Karin! You'll have him soon enough!" Konan said, with a hint of mischief in her voice, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows at us suggestively. Then, we all broke down and laughed until Asuma-sensei (who smelled of cigarettes) told us to be quiet and pay attention.

_This is going to rock! _I thought to myself, absentmindedly staring at the blackboard, filed with nonsense scribbles and numbers. Well, they're nonsense to _me_, anyway.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review. I'd really appreciate hearing what you think about my plot, story, grammar and the OC, Tomomi. Yes, I know it's slightly different from other Konoha High/Academy OCs, which is why I'm so proud of it. Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Thank you for all the nice reviews, by the way! I just posted a one-shot called **_**Teenagers**_**. I hope you read it and laugh a little. Thanks again! **


	5. Chapter 5: Music and Band Rehearsal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the songs used in this chapter.**

Music and Band Rehearsal

After advanced calculus, we went to our lockers and kept our books. Then, we all met by the school parking lot, waiting for my friends to come. Hidan got into his red Ferrari 458 Italia, Itachi got in his white 911 Turbo Porsche, Pein got into his black Lamborghini Murcielago, Sasori got into his silver Lamborghini Gallardo, Kakuzu went with Hidan, Zetsu got into his green 2009 Porsche Boxter, Tobi hitched a ride with Zetsu, Konan was waiting with Karin by her white Ferrari California convertible and Deidara took some random girl with him on his black Harley Davidson motorcycle. My eyes widened at all of their cool cars—no, scratch that—their _super awesome _cars!

"Hey Tomomi, what time will friends get here?" Karin asked, touching up her makeup in front of Konan's car's sideview mirror. "In a few minutes," I replied, opening up the car's hood. "What're you doing?" Konan asked, chuckling a little. "Checking out this baby's hood," I said, inspecting the car's engine. "Kami… this thing is… wow. Impressive!"

_Beep, beep!_

I snapped my head to find Kankuro's red Volkswagen van. My lips stretched into a grin as I closed the hood and dusted my hands on my skirt. Temari jumped out and ran to me. "Hey!" She exclaimed, hugging me. Then, Gaara slid out and walked to me, giving me a hug.

"Hey, Tomomi," he whispered in my ear.

"Gaara, Tem-chan, Kankuro, meet Karin and Konan!" I said, grinning at all of them.

"Hi," Temari said, shaking hands with them.

"Hey," Kankuro said, grinning at them.

"C'mon, let's get to practice!" I said, walking to the van. "They'll be the audience!" "Awesome!" Kankuro cheered, pumping a fist in the air. Konan and Karin giggled, getting in the convertible.

On the way to Gaara, Temari and Kankuro's house, we all conversed about what happened today.

"Tomomi,I just gotta say; I'm kind of… I don't know… _proud _that you made friend on your first day," Temari said, laughing a little.

"Yeah!" Kankuro added, tuning the radio as he drove. "Get even with Sakura! I mean, _dude_, it's a new year and a new school. Dominate it,right?"

I laughed, grinning at Kankuro. "Ha, I know! I have a feeling that this school year will go nicely… OH! By the way, Kankuro, how was the first day of senior year?" "Ah…" Kankuro started, banging his hands on the steering wheel for a second. "It's all the same… but wait, there _is _this new exchange student from—"

"Shut up, Kankuro." Temari and I said in unison. _Typical Kankuro, _I thought to myself, giggling a bit. "How 'bout you, Gaara?" I asked him, smiling a little. "Uh… nothing much," he said, shaking his head. "You, Tem?" I asked. "Like Gaara, nothing much. It's just basically all the same…" she said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe I can convince dad to move me to Konoha Academy!"

"Temari, you know that'll never happen…" Kankuro said in a sad tone.

…

I inwardly sighed. I wasn't the only one having family problems. Ever since… Well, ever since their mom died while giving birth to Gaara, his father always hated him, blaming him for the her death. Temari and Kankuro protected their younger sibling, which sparked many… violent arguments. When we met at a park, we bonded over our family issues and became friends. Then, to take our mind off our family, we started making music, practicing frequently. I closed my eyes and my mind drifted off to my parents…

_**Flashback**_

_**Age: 3**_

_I hugged my mom, who had the most amazing pair of emerald green eyes I've ever seen. "We'll be back in a while, sweetie," she said in a soft voice, giving me a hug. I stared up at my father, who was smiling at us. He had incredibly vibrant red hair and brown eyes. "Want us to bring you something?" He asked me, ruffling my hair. I giggled and told him, "I want… gummy beaws!" "Okay! Gummy bears it is!" he replied, standing up._

"_Yuki, take good care of Tomomi, okay?" My father sternly said to my babysitter, Yuki. "Sure, Mr. Hayashi!" she cheerfully said. "Goodbye, baby," my mom said to me, giving me an early goodnight kiss before walking out the door with dad, who ruffled my hair and grinned at me._

_**An hour and a half later…**_

"_Kami! Oh, no!" I heard Yuki say, covering her mouth in shock. I took small steps to my babysitter. "Oh, Tomomi…" she said sadly, shaking and crying. "What happened?" I asked, completely perplexed. She pointed a single manicured finger at the television._

"_**This just in, attorney Hayashi Kazuki and Hayashi Kyoko have just died in a car accident. Reports and sources say that it was a drunk driver responsible for their death by colliding straight in their car."**_

_Then… the world just stopped. I may have been you but I wasn't stupid. I broke down, crying for the loss of my parents._

_**Flashback ends**_

But my sadness didn't end there yet; I was temporarily moved to an orphanage where my Aunt Chizu picked me up and brought me to the Haruno Manor. For 10 years, I've been under the pressure by being judges, compared to, insulted, mistreated, betrayed, used… and after all that, I just felt empty. Then, 3 years ago, I met Gaara, Temari and Kankuro.

_**Flashback**_

_**Age: 13**_

_I couldn't believe it. After taking hit from Aunt Chizu and Sakura, I've finally cracked. I packed my clothes in my backpack, tucking them in neatly. Yes, I was at the point where I wanted to run away, to get away from all of… _this_. It was around midnight. I told the gardener to cage his Dobermans, just for _one night _so that I can escape without being caught. Taking one last look at my bedroom, I slid out, creeping through the halls and taking extra caution when I passed by Aunt Chizu and Sakura's bedrooms, even though they were really deep sleepers. I mean, even a small earthquake wouldn't wake them up. And _no_, I'm not kidding. I crept down to the kitchen and slid out the back door. I looked around before creeping down the rows of neatly trimmed bushes, shaped into… well, shapes. There's even one that's been shaped into Sakura!_

…

_Her 'nose hairs' could use a bit trimming, though._

_I slid past the gates that the guards have 'accidentally' left partially open and walked down the sidewalk, slinging my bag over my shoulder._

_I walked in the park grounds, making sure there was no 'monster' (pedophile) that lurked in the dark, waiting to pounce on me._

"_What are you doing here?" I heard someone behind me say._

"_Aah!" I cried out, whipping my head behind me to find a dirty blonde-haired girl with 4 ponytails looking at me curiously. "O-oh… I ran away from home…" I said, unsure if I said too much. "Oh… family problems?" she asked, tilting her head to side. I nodded, wondering how she knew. "Same here," she said, looking at the moon._

…

"_Oh! I'm Temari," she said, smiling at me. "I'm Tomomi," I said. "Want to meet my brothers?" she asked, smiling at me. Getting a feeling that O could trust her, I went with her. Then, I became friends with Temari, Kankuro and Gaara. Early in the morning, I snuck back in the house. Temari told me that I was too young to take the world on my own and I agreed, mentally slapping myself for making such a foolish decision. Then, after school, we always hung out at the park. And then, I finally felt… happy._

_**Flashback ends**_

I felt my eyes water. I looked outside the window to hide the fresh tears, pushing to fall. "Tomomi," I heard Gaara say, putting his hand on my shoulder. Then, I cracked and sobbed into his shoulder. "Tomomi!" Temari exclaimed, patting my back. Kankuro, who couldn't stop driving, looked at me sadly. "It's okay, Tomomi… It's okay…" he said softly, frowning a little.

Believe me, I'm normally never like this, but… whenever I think about my parents, expect some waterworks. I tried all my best to stop, crying, which seemed to make me cry more. After a few minutes, I quieted down, leaning on Gaara's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and glanced at Temari worriedly. "Tomomi, do you want to skip practice?" she asked, biting her lip. "No, it's okay! I'm fine; I'm honestly fine." I said quickly, wiping my eyes on my sleeves.

"Guys, we're here," Kankuro said, parking in an empty spot in the garage. The Sabaku family had a big house, thanks to their dad being a successful business man. I saw Konan's car parking right behind the van.

"Hey!" Karin said, smiling at us. "We're actually going to see you play the guitar!" Konan said cheerfully, smiling at me. "Say, have you been crying?" Karin asked with a worried expression. "Yeah… but don't worry, it's nothing important," I said, pulling them by their sleeves to the garage, but they stopped me. "Tomomi, nobody cries this much over 'nothing'." Konan said, bringing some tissues out of her purse. She gave them to me and I wiped my eyes thoroughly, running a hand through my hair. We all went in the garage where Kankuro was tuning his guitar, Temari was stretching her hands, preparing to play the drums and Gaara was setting up the amplifiers. "Here's your guitar, Tomomi," Gaara said to me, giving me my Fender Stratocaster guitar. I took my wallet out of my pocket and took my guitar pick out. I put the guitar strap on and plugged in the amplifier and told Konan and Karin to take a seat on the leather couch. Temari turned on the lights and took a comfortable position for drumming. "What song?" I asked Gaara, the lead singer, who was clutching his black Gibson SG. "You and I," he said, smiling at me. He looked back at Temari and Kankuro, who was on his left and said loudly, "One, two, three, four!"

_Without you  
there's no reason for my story  
and when I'm with you  
I can always act the same  
forever, yeah if we're together  
We can make it better_

_You and I  
we never get to sleep  
we're up all day  
we're over worked and underpaid  
you and I  
were always stuck in repeat  
day by day  
watching time drift away  
as we burn away_

I ended the song with a long riff and high-fived everyone in the room. "So what do you think?" Temari asked Konan and Karin. "It was so good! You know what? You should _totally _send in a demo to a recording company." Karin said, clapping her hands and grinning at us. "Of course! Guys, give me a demo and… _maybe _I can work something out," Konan said, smirking at us.

"Dude, _seriously_?" Kankuro asked. Konan simply smirked at him and said, "_Maybe_… Because my father's one of the CEOs of this record label, _Konoha Jam Recording Company_. Maybe he can pull a few strings?"

"Awesome," Kankuro said as he high-fived Gaara.

"Tomomi, Konan and I need to talk to you, by the way!" Karin said, motioning for us to go outside. "Okay, continue practice without me, I'll be back in a minute!" I yelled to nobody in particular.

As we walked outside, Karin shrieked, slightly scaring me and creeping me out a little. "Kami, Tomomi, you were _so _good!" She exclaimed, grinning at me. "Thanks!" I said, smiling a little. "But that's not what we wanted to talk to you about…" Konan started, a mischievous glint in her eye. She glanced at Karin before looking at me. "…It's about that redhead," Karin continued.

"Gaara? Why?" I asked them, leaning on the van.

"He _obviously _likes you!" Karin said, giggling a little.

"Wh-what? No, Gaara and I are only friends!" I said quickly, blushing. Gaara liked me? Gaara _like _liked me?

"Oh, _c'mon_, Tomomi! That song was _obviously _about you!" I started to ponder and tried to suppress the blush showing on my face. _Holy sh*t… REALLY? _

"Uh… this conversation is over," I said, walking (running) back to the garage. They followed, smirking at me.

"Which song next?" I asked in an oddly high-pitched voice, putting my guitar strap on.

"You do the lead," Gaara said, walking over to my position. I brushed off all of these thoughts and focused on one thing: the music. "For the win, alright?" I told Gaara, Temari and Kankuro who nodded in return.

"Two, three, four!" I yelled out, strumming my guitar, letting Gaara sing the intro first.

_I've got a way with words  
and it's the cause of all my problems  
I've got my mind set  
and that's the way it is  
I never thought it could get this bad  
when I had you in my pocket everything was just fine and... _

Once I finished the song, I smiled. The song was about nobody in particular, but the first part about the 'big mouth' were about Sakura and Deidara. "Let me guess, it's about Sakura," Kankuro said. "…and Deidara," Karin added, smirking at us. "Both of you are correct!" I said, laughing a little. "Hey, guys, I need to go now; I'm gonna hit the mall with Konan and Karin, okay?" "Sure!" Temari said. "See you tomorrow!" We bid each other goodbye and hopped in Konan's car… well, we didn't _literally _hop in, but we got in properly.

"So, what're we gonna do at the mall?" Karin asked, turning on the radio. "We're going to find you a new choice of wardrobe, Karin." I said, slightly frowning as my hair flew in front of my face. I slapped it away and bunched it up into a pony tail. "New wardrobe?" "Yes, and a new way of acting when you see Sasuke," Konan added. "Why, what's wrong with the way I act around my Sasuke-kun?" Karin whined. Konan and I smirked at each other and said in unison, "That's _exactly _why," Karin closed her eyes and pouted and Konan and I laughed.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was this tiny voice saying, _'Changing Karin's way of dressing, walking and acting around Sasuke will be hard. Very, very hard.'_

**How was it? Did it suck? I'm kind of… I don't know, **_**proud **_**to see that this chapter is longer than usual. Maybe I should do this more often, ne? Please review on my story, plot, grammar and my OC, Tomomi. And in case you're wondering what Tomomi looks like, she has really fiery red hair, like… Hayley Williams! Most of her appearance is based on her. Just imagine a girl with pale skin, fiery red/scarlet hair and Sakura's emerald green eyes (Haruno family eyes). Anyways, at least there's more of a plot! So Gaara has a crush on Tomomi. I wonder if she likes him back…? Even **_**I **_**honestly don't know, and **_**I'm **_**the writer! Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Sorry if there's no spark between Tomomi and Deidara yet! In fact, I'm honestly worried that Tomomi and Deidara might be **_**too **_**different and have no spark at all! So much for 'Opposites Attract' if so, ne? :P**

You've got a big mouth  
and the streets are talking  
about the way you walk around like you own the place  
you've got a big mouth  
and you shoulda shut it  
yeah, you shoulda shut it in the first place


	6. Chapter 6: Shop 'til we drop, we shall!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**

And so, shop 'till we drop, we shall! (I think)

When we got to the mall, we luckily found an empty spot near one of the entrances. We all walked around, looking at shops before Karin pulled us by our sleeves and pointed at an incredibly short pair of black shorts. "Wouldn't my Sasuke-kun _love _to see me wearing that?" But before she got to drag us in the store, we stood firmly on the ground and shook our heads. "No, Karin… just no…" I said, my eye slightly twitching at the short shorts. I mean, _seriously_, they could pass off as _underwear_! Karin frowned and put her hands on her hips. "What then?"

"There," Konan said, pointing to another store's mannequin. It wore a slightly loose navy blue jersey sweater, white skinny jeans and sierra blue colored peep toe pumps. "…Really?" Karin asked, tilting her head to the side. "Yes!" I exclaimed, dragging her to the store. Well… not literally _dragging _her to the store, but… Ah, you know.

We checked out the prices and asked one of the employees (who was a snob) to get the clothes in Karin's size. Then, as Karin tried them out, Konan and I walked around, looking for accessories to match. To match with Karin's new outfit, I mean. "How 'bout this?" I asked, picking up a royal blue satin headband. Simple, yet it could bring the whole outfit together! "Ah, _perfect_!" Konan exclaimed.

"Hey, guys?"

We turned to see Karin looking like a brand new person. "Damn," Konan joked, laughing a little. "Here, put this on," she said, giving the head band to Karin, who just simply slid it on.

"No, Karin, you wear it like this," I said, putting it above her head and behind her ears, not tucking in any hair, which kind of defeats the purpose but looks _great_. "Oh, okay!" Karin said, grinning at us.

"Get changed, Karin, and we'll ring that up," Konan said, credit card in her hand, already at the counter. "No, it's okay! I can pay for it myself," Karin said, waving her hands in front of her face. "Karin, chill! I'll take care of it," Konan said, smiling at her reassuringly. "Wow, Konan, thanks _so _much! You're the best!" Karin cried out, hugging Konan before walking to the dressing rooms. I walked to Konan and smirked. "What are you planning, Konan?" I asked deviously. She just smirked at me and held something up in her hand. It was a bottle of perfume… "What's Karin going to do with that?" I asked, eyeing it. "Sasuke will _love _this scent!" she explained. "Konan… It's _TOMATO SCENTED_." I said, holding the bottle up. "Trust me, Tomomi!" She said, grinning at me and putting the bottle of perfume, which has already been paid for in her jacket pocket. The bottle wasn't very big… it was a thin tube of glass with a puny nozzle on top. It read, '_Tomato Perfume: Exotic Smells for Everyday Use_'. 'Exotic smells' my ass. I mean, _c'mon_, it's a common garden vegetable!

"…Earth to Tomomi! Are you there?" Karin asked, mockingly waving her hands in front of my face frantically. "Oh!" I said, snapping out of my thoughts on garden vegetables. "Eh, gomen," I said, giving her a sheepish grin. Then, we walked out of the mall and pondered on what to next. Then, I saw a hair salon. _That's it! _I exclaimed, mentally patting myself on the back. "Yo! Karin, how about a new hairstyle?" I asked, motioning to the salon.

"Um…" Karin thought, biting on her lip. "…Okay," she said, nodding to us. Walked inside and browsed the magazines for a new hairstyle.

"OOH, how 'bout this one?" Konan said, pointing a manicured finger at a curly coif.

"No…" Karin said, browsing a few more pages.

"This one! I want this one!" she exclaimed, pointing at a sleek bob. "Great!" Konan exclaimed. I walked over to one of the hairdressers and said to her, "My friend needs a haircut," "Oui, oui, take a seat, s'il vous plaît!" the elegantly dressed woman said in a non-convincing French accent, giving me a judging look. _Oh, I get it… It's my UNIFORM. _I fumed in my head. Inwardly growling, I bit my tongue and sat next to Konan. "That was mean," Konan said, glaring at the woman. "Tell me about it," I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"Uh… I'll get a McSalad Shaker, a cheeseburger and… a small diet Coke!" Konan said. "Yeah, the grilled chicken Caesar one."

After Karin's haircut, which looked _great _on her, we went to McDonald's to grab a bite to eat.

"I want chicken McNuggets…" Karin said, raising her eyebrow at the menu hovering in front of us.

"How many chicken McNuggets, miss?" the employee asked, grinning at us.

"Um… six should be good. And a… a small diet coke and some French fries; small," She said, smiling at her choice. The employee pressed some multi-colored buttons on the register and turned to me. "How about you, miss?" After a second or two of pondering, I ordered a double cheeseburger, a small regular coke and a medium serving of fries. I walked over to where Karin and Konan were sitting and their eyes widened once they saw my food. "You can eat all of _that_?" Karin said, motioning to my food. "Yeah, why?" I asked, opening a packet of ketchup. I poured it all over a piece of tissue paper and took a French fry, dipped it and stuffed it in my mouth, savoring the crispy piece in my mouth. "Tomomi, isn't that _too much_?" "Tch, it isn't THAT much, Konan!" I harrumphed, yet it failed as I was chewing the fries. "Uh-huh," Konan replied, smirking at me. Then we got to talking about how to hook Karin up with Uchiha Sasuke, one of the most inaccessible guys (as deemed by Konan) in the entire school.

"So Tomomi… you got a plan yet?" Karin asked, covering her mouth as she chewed on her McNuggets. "Um… Yeah. I was doing some 'human ovservation' on him in class today. He seems like the type to brush off his fangirls,

"Tell me about it, sister." Karin glumly said, looking at her diet Coke.

"But… the point is to _NOT _be a fangirl."

"…How?" Konan asked, completely perplexed.

"Simple and easy. We play hard-to-get." I concluded, smirking.

"But if so, won't he just ignore me?"

"No. By the fangirls I've seen today, a large amount of students here are fanboys and fangirls." Karin looked at me curiously.

"Okay… bottomline is, we get Karin to play the sexy, smart and hot female counterpart of him. I'm sure Sasuke won't resist that!" I said, grinning at them. "Yeah, but _how_?" Konan asked.

"To do that, we'll need to get Karin to NOT act like a fangirl, get it? Like, whenever she sees Sasuke, while all of his other fangirls are screaming over him, _you_," I looked at Karin. "My friend, will just walk up to him and act all cool like, 'Hey', get it? Someone who doesn't use direct seduction tactics by dressing up in skimpy clothing, but by using subtle tactics like speaking in a low, sexy tone as you act not to be interested in him."

"Oh, I'm starting to get it…" Karin says, slowly nodding at me, taking the knowledge in.

"Karin, you'll need to do something about the way you act around Sasuke. When you see him, you can't just be all like, 'OH MY KAMI, SASUKE'!" "B-but…!" "Yeah, it's gonna be hard." Konan added. "…But, it's WORTH it." Karin said, smiling at us.

We finished eating and walked around the mall, browsing through different arrays of clothes. Then, we eventually got in the car to go home.

"Straight up there," I said, pointing to the Haruno manor.

"Wow… big place," Karin muttered under her breath. I got out of the car after giving them a brief hug. "Thanks guys! See you tomorrow!" I said, walking to the gate, being opened by the guard who easily recognized me. As I walked in, he saluted me. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and lifted my gym bag up, seeing that it was still wet. Rolling my eyes, I looked up at the manor and made my way up the driveway. Aunt Chizu often got home late, always either due to work, travel, opening galas, formal parties or all of them. She's an editor of a famous fashion magazine called, _Fashion Forward_. I walked in, going upstairs to my room. Closing my bedroom door, I threw my bag on the ground and sunk on the bed. _Tomorrow's another day… _I exhaustedly thought to myself. Sitting up, I rubbed my temples before taking a shower to get my mind off of things for a while. _Time for dinner with Aunt Chizu… _I thought to myself when I heard the bell ringing for dinner in 15 minutes. I put on a black tube dress and my gold platform pumps. I rarely wore heels; just when I needed to. I put a gold necklace around my neck and sighed in my reflection. I put some pale pink lipgloss on my lips, shimmery gold eyeshadow and some blush. _This just isn't me! _I thought, frowning at my reflection before walking out the door.

To my surprise, we weren't eating here, but Aunt Chizu called the housekeeper to ring up the limousine and pick us up and take us to the mansion of Aunt Chizu's good associate and friend. I went back up and got my gold sequined clutch, went back down and got in the limo. There, I saw Sakura already there, wearing a forest green mini-dress, studded gladiator heels in black and a glittery black clutch. She wore red lipstick, deep red blush and green eyeshadow with a hint of mascara. "Hello, Tomomi,"

"Hello, Sakura-san," I replied, looking at the window. "We're going to meet some of mother's wealthy friends and _plenty _of their associates… and their sons. Many of them are quite young, actually. Around our age, I believe." She said, admiring her reflection in the mirror giving a little kiss. _Eww… _I inwardly shuddered, nodding. "Hai, Sakura-san." I quietly said, looking at the bright lights.

"…But then again, there _is _Uchiha Sasuke… or maybe even Deidara," she smugly said. My heart honestly skipped a beat when I heard her say Sasuke's name. _Kami, oh no! DID SHE FIND OUT? OH NO! This is BAD; BAD, I tell you! _I frantically thought, trying to keep my cool. "Yep," I said in a high-pitched voice. _Not again! _Sakura just gave me a suspicious look before ignoring me and checking her phone.

When we got there, there were plenty of people, elegantly dressed in tuxedos and dresses. We walked in with our heads up high, looking for Aunt Chizu. We found her by the bar, conversing with a man whose eyes looked familiar… "Mother!" Sakura cried out, kissing both of Aunt Chizu's cheeks. "Aunt Chizu-sama… Sir," I said to both of them, bowing my head. We talked for a short while before Aunt Chizu sent us to go 'acquaint ourselves' with her associates. Then, Sakura ditched me to go find some boy her age to flirt with. In the middle of the room, where I didn't know a single person. Oh, that is just _great_. I walked across the room, avoided the people dancing and found a garden outside of one open door, a glass of champagne in hand (I was obliged to). As I admired the flora, someone came up behind me. "It's beautiful, isn't it, hmm?" The voice was familiar… Kind of like déjà vu or something. "Yeah… it is." I said, smiling as I took a bud in my hands. "Will you dance with me, un?" I heard him say. Then, my heart skipped a beat._ No, it couldn't be him! _I thought, turning around to face him.

"Deidara?"

**So, how was it? Ahh, I read your reviews! Arigato Kakashi Forever, because thanks to your suggestion, I was able to think up of a way to ignite a spark between these two! Haha~ Anyways, please review on my grammar, plot, story and my OC, Tomomi! I was very disappointed (and embarrassed) to see that chapter five had a sh*tload of grammar errors that I missed from typing to fast… Ah, gomen! The school term is opening again, so I will inevitably update slower than usual… but I'll try!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Are any of the characters OOC? Tell me if you think so… Haha**


	7. Chapter 7: First Dance Fail!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

First Dance Fail

"_Deidara?_" I heard myself ask, completely surprised.

"The one and only, hmm," he replied, smirking at me. "So… what about it, yeah?"

"What about what?" I asked, curious to know what he was talking to me about.

"Ugh," he groaned, rubbing his temples. Then, he straightened himself and looked me in the eye. "Wanna dance, un?" he offered his hand to me. I pondered for a while before taking a deep breath and putting my hand in his. _It's warm… _I thought before mentally slapping myself. _Well… that was obvious. He's alive. _"Sure," I finally said, snapping out of my thoughts. I walked towards the room before I was suddenly stopped my Deidara, who was in the same spot in the garden.

"What? You said you wanted to dance! GEEZ," I said, getting slightly impatient.

"But _not _in a room filled with old geezers, hmm."Deidara sarcastically said. "Come here, yeah!"

Then, we walked deeper in the garden and soon, we were in a maze, with tall hedges as the walls. In the middle, there was a small fountain, decorated with yellow festival lights. "Let's dance here," he said, bringing me to the fountain.

"Okay…" I said, trying to hide the small blush appearing on my face. Yeah, yeah, so I may hold a little resentment against him but STILL. The area looked _so _romantic! He put his hands on my waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck before I said to him, "There's no music," "Here, yeah," he said, holding an earphone up. I took it from him and we slowly started to dance.

…

…

…

"When are you going to play the music?" I sarcastically asked, grinning at him. "O-oh…" he stuttered, obviously flustered and embarrassed as I saw a slight tinge of red on his cheeks. He fumbled around his pocket and brought his iPhone 4G out, browsing through the songs. "Umm…" he said, trying to break the silence. Then, after a few more minutes of sliding upwards, _How to save a life_ by The Fray started playing.

We danced around the area, with him twirling me around before dipping me.

SPLASH!

I suddenly found myself submerged in water. I regained my senses a second later and sitting up, COMPLETELY SOAKED, and glaring at a certain blonde who was laughing his head off. A few formally dressed guys around his age appeared out of the shrubs, laughing. I blushed furiously, in rage and embarrassment.

"I-I can't believe that you _actually _thought that D-DEIDARA would dance with YOU!" a random rich boy howled, clutching his stomach. I looked down at my soaked black dress as tears pricked my eyes. _Don't cry… _I sternly told myself. I struggled to sit up, which only made me fall back and make them laugh even harder. I grabbed on the ledge of the fountain and glared at Deidara, who was still laughing. I slowly walked back into the maze, trying to control myself from crying.

"You owe me a hundred bucks, yeah!" I heard Deidara hysterically yell out. _I was… a bet? _I thought, feeling the tears run down my cheeks.

By the time I got out of the maze, my dress had partially dried and it was time for the dinner. My wet shoes made odd noises as I crossed the empty room and into the dining area. There, I saw Aunt Chizu and Sakura with some other people on one table and Deidara (along with his rich boy crew) on another. I took a deep breath before walking towards Aunt Chizu's table. I took a seat as everyone at the table quieted and slightly glared at me.

"You're late, Tomomi." Aunt Chizu sternly said, glaring at me.

"Yes, Aunt Chizu, but I-I…"

"_NO _excuses, Tomomi." I looked down at my partially wet dress.

Halfway through dinner time, I had already finished my filet mignon.

_Clack!_

The dish in front of me was a serving of tiramisu. Not really in the mood for talking, I took a small bite before pushing my chair away from the table. "May I please be excused?" I asked, looking at Aunt Chizu. "Yes, you may," she said, with a slight wave of her hand. I consciously looked at my shoes, which were still making that odd sound and walked out of the room and went to the restrooms. When I walked in, I saw two elegantly dressed women smoking and putting on some makeup. They glared at me as they scanned my outfit and resumed putting on more makeup and smoking. I walked into a stall and leaned against the door. _The restroom stalls are cool… _I noted, sitting on a small stool in front of a vanity mirror and looking at the rest of the stall, which had a small sink and a toilet (obviously) and absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair in my hands before tears started to fall down on the smooth granite floor as I quietly cried.

_So much for my first dance… _

**Hey guys! Sorry it was so short; like I told you: I don't really have much free time on my hands anymore. Gomen! I'll try to update all the more often and make each chapter longer.**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. This is the time where you choose whom Tomomi ends up with! Falling for her best friend, Gaara or the playboy Deidara? You choose!**


	8. Chapter 8: Dude looks like a lady!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Dude Looks like a Lady!

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I opened my eyes and searched around for my alarm clock and gave it a good whack on a button and promptly stopped making that annoying beeping noise. As soon as the noise stopped, I slumped back on my bed, burying my head in the pillows, already exhausted. After that scenario with Deidara last night, I _definitely _didn't want to go to school today, but alas, I had to. Heaving a big sigh, I yawned and sat up, stretching myself. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and stood up, heading towards my closet and taking my uniform out before walking to the bathroom.

After I got dressed, I fixed my hair (combed it, really) and got my book bag and went downstairs. I walked into the dining room and politely bowed my head at my aunt.

"Good morning, Aunt Chizu." I said, taking a seat, seeing that she wasn't going to reply to me and got comfortable in my seat.

_Clack!_

A maid put a plate of bacon, eggs, sausages and scrambled eggs in front of me, giving a small smile before rushing back to the kitchen. I got along pretty well with the staff here, but unfortunately, not with my family. I grabbed my fork and began eating. Then, once again, the sound of heels echoed around the room as Sakura walked (sashayed) in, taking a seat across me.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," I said, giving her a quick glance before continuing eating breakfast. As soon as Sakura sat down, the same maid rushed in and put the plate in front of her carefully, bowed and rushed back to the kitchen. It was a small serving of salad. Sakura's food, I mean. How can you _only _eat that stuff?

After I finished my food, I bid aunt Chizu goodbye and walked outside, down the driveway and through the gates. Then, as if on cue, Kankuro's van came rolling in, in all of its shiny red glory. Temari grinned at me as she opened the passenger seat of the van. I got in and closed the door, smiling at them.

"Top o' the mornin', Tomomi!" Kankuro said, laughing a bit.

"Hey guys!" I said, putting my book bag on my lap. "Ugh, guess what," I groaned, putting a hand to my head.

"What?" Temari asked, pressing buttons on her Blackberry. "Last night, I had to go to this… I don't know, this dinner and something and this _huge jerk _from school came up to me and asked me to dance. Then, we walked into this maze with the shrubs and we started to dance, _THEN_, just when he was about to dip me, he made me fall into the water! And all of these snobby rich boys came out and laughed at me and now, I don't want to go to school." I said, using my hands to describe things and pouting a little.

…

…

"What?" Kankuro asked, glancing at me curiously before focusing his eyes on the road.

"Who did this, Tomomi?" Gaara asked, a sliver of edge in his tone. Uh… you wouldn't like it when he's angry. Nuh-uh. "No, no, no, it's okay! I'll handle it. In fact, I'll deal with him today! And _I _already have a plan!" I lied, grinning at them mischievously, but at the same time not lying at all. I _was _going to deal with him today, only I hadn't formulated a plan… _yet_. Keyword: yet.

"If this-this _freak _ever does this to you again, I swear, I'll make him wish he were dead!" Gaara growled out, murder intent eminating from him. _Aww, how sweet! _I thought. _But at the same time, scary! _I concluded, mentally giving myself a pat on the back.

"Calm down, Gaara!" I calmly said, putting a hand on his shoulder. He glared at it before crossing his arms and looking straight at the road. I inwardly sighed with relief; you wouldn't like to see him pissed off. In a way, Gaara was like the Hulk, only without the green skin and hair, expanding of size and the bad grammar. He just gets quite violent, even though he really is a nice person. I swear!

…

…

…

"So… what's this genius plan of yours anyway?" Temari asked, breaking the tension, along with the silence.

_Oh, crap._

"U-uhm… well, you know! That plan where you do that… thingy… erm… Well, that's for _me _to know and for _you _to find out, ne?" I said, smirking at my quick thinking.

And before they got to question me, we got to Konoha Academy's gates. Kankuro drove up in front of the entrance and grinned at me. "See you later, Tomomi!" he cheerfully said.

"Later!" Temari said, giving me a quick smirk before turning back to her phone. "I'll see you after school," Gaara said, giving me a curt nod, obviously still feeling a tad bit flustered and upset with how he acted in the van. Then, at that moment, I felt upset that he was upset with himself. "Ne, don't worry, Gaara!" I said, giving him a hug. After a split-second, he hugged me back. "I'll see y'all after school!" I said, grinning at them before turning to walk in the school. You know, I honestly saw Gaara blushing. _Could it be… true? True that Gaara may actually LIKE me? Like, LIKE ME LIKE ME like that? _I pondered, absentmindedly putting my fingers to my lips.

"Hey! Tomomi," I heard a familiar voice say. Konan was there, dressed in uniform except for the blue jacket. Instead, she was wearing a black jacket with what looked like a red cumulus cloud on the upper-left side and black buttons. "Cool jacket," I said, inspecting it. It looked _exactly _like our blue school jackets, only with a few minor changes. "Yeah, only members in our organization get to wear them."

"But won't Principal Tsunade get mad?"

"Nani? You really don't know much about how powerful our organization is, don't you?"

"Truth be told… no."

"Eh… let's just put it this way: Principal Tsunade owns the school; we, the Akatsuki, _rule _the school and preps like those," she explained, motioning to that blonde chick, Ino. "Just _act _like they rule the school. Get it?"

"Erm… I think so."

"Ah, good enough," she joked, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, I got a jacket made for you last night. I hope it fits," she said, pulling me in by my jacket sleeve down the hallway.

When we reached her locker, she opened it and brought a neat black jacket, hanging on a small rack. Her locker was a full-sized one, too! On her locker door, there was a black mirror and photos of Konan, Pein and a red-haired boy. "Aw, cute! Who's that?" I asked, motioning to the red-head. Konan paused and glanced at the picture, smiling as if she were recalling a favorite memory. "That's Nagato… he was a childhood friend of mine." She said, holding the edge of the picture in her hand. "Oh… so where is he?" I asked looking at Konan before looking at the picture. "Oh. He's in a boarding school in Amegakure right now. Yahi— erm, I mean, Pein and I are trying to bring him to Konoha." She said, giving me the jacket. "I hope it fits!" she said, smiling at me. "Yeah… wait, why do we have to wear these anyway?" I asked, taking my blue jacket off and putting on the black one. "Ngh. Long story." She said with a slight wave of her hand. "Ah, perfect fit!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands happily.

_Bring! Bring!_

"Damn! I have to go." Konan said, giving me a small wave and closing her locker shut. I just stood there for a second, admiring my jacket before realizing that the hallway was empty. "Oh, sh*t!" I exclaimed, dashing down the hall to my locker. I opened it up as fast as I could, got my science books and ran down the hall…

…

…and ran back to close my locker. I flew down the hall to the science room, opening the door with a little _too _much force. Everybody looked at me curiously as my cheeks reddened. "H-Hi," I stuttered, giving them a sheepish grin before sitting next to _him_. Everybody then resumed doing whatever they were doing before I did the unnecessary barge-in. _Ngh. _

Beside _him_, there was a busty girl with curly brown hair. "I feel like… I'm attracted to you in a… 'way'." She purred in a low voice that she probably thought was sexy. It failed horribly and I turned to the opposite side, covering my mouth as I laughed as quietly as I could, earning 'WTF' looks from people who were facing me. I probably looked like a retarded seal or something. I exhaled deeply before turning back to _him _and that busty girl, trying to get in _his _pants.

"Well, how about we test that theory out at my place, yeah?" I heard _him _say. I gagged as my left eye started to twitch. _Yuck…_ I thought. Thankfully, Kakashi-sensei came in and sent the girl back to her seat. Then, he began to teach us about how to calculate speed and the velocity of a given distance and a given time period. Useless stuff, really. Well, to _me_, anyway.

"Had a nice dip last night, Tomomi, yeah?" _He _asked, smirking deviously at me. Even though I tried with all my might to think up of a witty comeback, my efforts were left in vain as I stayed silent. "Heh, you have nothing to say, don't you, hmm?" he teased, raising a single eyebrow. I turned away from him and started listening to the teacher. (Well, I _tried _to)

"…and don't forget about this term's science project! Partners, those some may not get along with each other, will _have _to cooperate with each other. If you don't cooperate and get this project done, both of you will _fail _science and this term." _What? _I thought, slightly widening my eyes. _Well… maybe I can ask the teacher to switch us!_ "And no, you cannot switch partners," _Damn you, Kakashi-sensei. _"Remember, I just told you yesterday! You'll be stuck as partners _permanently _for the entire term." A series of groans echoed throughout the room. Deidara and I glared at each other briefly before glaring at the teacher responsible: _Kakashi-sensei_.

_Bring! Bring!_

_FINALLY! _I cheered in my head. In a hurry, I stood up and left. Just as I was about to exit the room, Kakashi-sensei said something about assigning us what to do with our projects. Then, I walked out of the room and down the hall. Opening my locker, I checked my schedule and immediately felt my mood brighten up. _Music class! _I closed my locker shut and walked down the hall with a small smile on my face. I heard the distinct sound of random musical instruments and walked in. Inside, there was the music teacher, trying to get the students to be quiet. "Please quiet down, students!" he pleaded. I smirked, sitting on an empty chair. After a few minutes, everybody quieted down, allowing the teacher to speak.

"_Ahem_… Good morning, students. Now—"

_Clack!_

Everyone's eyes were focused on Deidara, who was currently fixing his shirt, grinning smugly at everyone. "Morning, un!" he said, taking a seat next to _another _busty girl. Fangirls surrounding me gushed about Deidara's 'hotness' (Yeah, _right_) and that Busty Girl 2's boobs were fake and how blind Deidara was for not noticing how 'sexy' they were. I tried hard not to gag.

In class we learned about different notes, chords and such. "Class, which one of you can play any of these instruments?" the teacher asked, motioning to an array of instruments familiar to me. _An electric guitar! _I mentally exclaimed, grinning at it. I raised my hand up high.

"You, the redhead, what can you play?" he asked. "I can play the electric guitar!" "Well? Come on out and show us what you've got." I walked down and got my pick out from my wallet. After tuning the guitar, I suddenly hatched an idea, so _genius_, I mentally pat myself on the back. "Um…" I started, choosing the right words to speak. "This song is dedicated to… my science partner, Deidara!"

The busty girl and all of his fangirls glared at me. I smirked at them before doing a riff I'm sure some people knew, because once they heard it, their smiled widened across their face. I opened my mouth and sang Dude Looks like a Lady.

"Dude looks like a lady! Dude looks like a lady!" I sang, earning claps from my fellow peers as they sang along. Then, some of them started to play the bass guitar and the drums. Saxophones were heard shortly after. The music teacher tried to restrain us as we continued playing the music. After the song ended, the teacher sent us back to our seats. I sat back and crossed my legs smirking at Deidara, who was glaring daggers at me.

After class, I confidently walked out of the room, high-fiving the ones who were playing and singing along with me. Then, I heard a breath on my ear. "It's _on_, Tomomi, hmm!" Deidara growled through gritted teeth. I simply smirked, not turning to face him.

"Bring it."

**Hey, y'all! So how was it? Did it suck? Please review on my plot, grammar and on my OC, Tomomi. I'd really like to hear your opinion on this. I've made this one quite longer to make up for the shortage in chapter seven. And please tell me if any of the original characters are OOC! Thanks for all the reviews! And by the way: the title is Opposites Attract, so yep. Expect Deidara to act like a jerk and a playboy. Plus, it seems like most of y'all****—**** well, **_**all **_**of you, want to see Tomomi end up with Deidara! Haha~ Anyways, I've been thinking about adding another oneshot… I have a few ideas in mind. Maybe I'll type them out some other time.**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. So… please check out my light-hearted oneshot, **_**Teenagers**_**, if you're in need of a quick laugh (or a chuckle)!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Akatsuki's Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The Akatsuki's Meeting

Next class was history, so I stopped by my locker to grab my books.

_THUD._

All of a sudden, I found myself shoved against my locker by that busty girl from music class and her cronies.

"You slimy little b*tch! Don't you _dare _ever treat _MY _Deidara-kun like that AGAIN! Take this as a _warning_, freak." She hissed before turning away and flipping my hair, hitting my face (which was probably on purpose) and walking (sashaying) down the hall as her evil minions followed her like stray dogs. Everyone that saw what happened made not _one _sound…

…

"GET BACK TO CLASS!" A teacher yelled. Then, we all parted ways and went to our classes. When I got in, I saw Guy-sensei and Lee having a man-hug session again. _Is this going to be a daily thing? _I pondered, taking a few steps in.

"TOMOMI-CHAN!" Tobi exclaimed, waving frantically at me with both arms. Flailing around, rather. I grinned and sat next to him, setting my books on the desk. "Tomomi-chan, Tomomi-chan! Guess what?" He exclaimed shaking my shoulders. "U-uhm… What?"

"_NO_, Tomomi-chan! You have to GUESS." He said, giving me another shake.

"Erm… Eh, _fine_. You got a new phone?" I randomly guessed, shrugging my shoulders.

"Nuh-uh!" he said, shaking his head. "Tobi's parents won't let Tobi have one. But! Tobi's had one before. But Tobi broke it…"

"How?"

"Tobi watched a video on YouTube and Tobi threw Tobi's phone in the toilet."

What the hell?

"W-What?" I sputtered out. "Tobi, you can't throw phone in the toilet!"

…

"Whatever! Guess again!"

"Uh… you got a new car?" I randomly guessed… _again_.

"No! Tobi doesn't have a car yet! Tobi didn't get Tobi's license yet!"

"Oh, just _tell me already_!" I exclaimed, rubbing my temples, taking a glance at Gai-sensei who was, once again, writing up a storm on the blackboard. I _swear_, I honestly saw a trail of smoke coming from the chalk.

"Tobi got a new pencil! SEE?" He exclaimed, pulling up an orange pencil, bent at an odd angle. "It's BENDABLE!" he explained, shaking the pencil, which wobbled back and forth with vigor. I chuckled at his childishness and turned to the teacher.

_Beep!_

Everybody quieted as we all started listening to the speakers. _"All members of the Akatsuki; please report to the conference room immediately." _Said a voice to which I recognized it as Itachi's. A few girls started sighing dreamily. "C'mon, Tomomi-chan! Or else, we'll be LATE!" Tobi said, pulling me up. "Uh… wait! Let me get my books." When my books were cradled safely in my arms, Tobi made a mad dash for the door. "HOLD IT!" Exclaimed Gai-sensei, who came from out of nowhere and was currently blocking the door. "HERE ARE YOUR HALL PASSES! HAVE A YOUTHFUL AND ENERGIZING MEETING!" He exclaimed, flashing a grin at us as his teeth sparkled. In his hands were two hall passes. I grabbed them and went out the door. Then, I slammed it, focusing on the passes.

"OUCH! TOBI'S HEAD!" I heard from the inside, immediately feeling embarrassed. _Tobi! Oh NO, I must've closed the door on him! _I exclaimed in my head, mentally slapping myself. As you've probably noticed, I mentally slap myself often. A split-second later, Tobi burst out, holding a hand to his head. "Tobi, I-I'm sorry! I didn't meant to slam the door on you!" I stuttered. "Tobi's okay!" he exclaimed happily before dragging me down the hall.

We raced down the hall and went into the administration room. Then, Tobi led me down the corridor into a narrow passage, leading to a wooden door. He opened the door to a spacious room, with bookshelves lining the walls. In the middle was a long black conference table, with office chairs around it, were most of the members were seated at. At one head of the table was Pein, reading something on a black folder. At his right-hand side was Konan, who was quietly folding origami butterflies. _Everyone's here! _I thought, looking at all of the books. "Tomomi," Sasori said, a small smile on his face. Itachi curtly nodded at me, Kisame grinned at me, Hidan ignored me, Zetsu gave me an odd look (which creeped me out), Deidara glared at me, Kakuzu nodded at me before resuming counting his money and Konan smiled at me, giving a small wave of her hand. I sat next to Kisame and smoothened my skirt.

"Is everyone present?" Pein asked in a stern tone, looking at everyone of us. "Aa," Itachi said, closing his eyes. "Then let us begin," Pein started, holding the folder in his hand.

"We will all have a mission in the near future," _A mission? _"Konan, please do the honors." "Hai!" Konan switched off the lights and pulled out a projector screen and put it in front of us. She turned it on and a picture of a place of what looks like a military base showed up on the screen. "This is our mission; to infiltrate this military school." Konan said, using a pointing laser to encircle the picture. "Why?" _He _asked, raising an eyebrow at the screen. "Because, Deidara, a new possible member of the Akatsuki is there, training in that school." Konan explained, looking at him. The picture of the military school switched to a picture of barbed gates, military-uniformed people and a military truck, about to go in.

"This is the _only _entrance and exit of the military school," Pein explained. "Twenty-four hour watch, electric fences, barbed gates, weapons and strict entry and exiting. We will have to work in pairs swiftly and quietly. The name of the new member is Nagato," _Nagato! He's Konan and Pein's childhood friend! _I thought, putting a hand to my chin. "… And right now, he's in Amegakure. He'll be quite an addition to our group. He's been noted for extraordinary intellect and is now in a group of barracks here," Konan continued as the picture of the gates changed into a picture of a few green barracks. "He's under close watch. The area is in one corner of the camp. The guard in this area is particularly heavy, seeing that this is the facility where they hold the most prodigal… erm, 'students' here."

"So what do we do?" Kakuzu gruffly asked, tucking his money in a small briefcase. The picture switched to a different one, one of what looked like the entire camp from bird's-eye view. "We will separate you into pairs and we will assign you tasks. And if everything falls right into place, according to my calculations, Nagato will be able to become a member of the Akatsuki and a student of this school." Pein said, looking at each and every one of us. "We will be separated into two individual groups; the diversion and the hunt. Konan, you're in the hunt."

"I know."

"Those in the diversion are: Deidara, Tobi, Hidan, Kisame and Tomomi. The rest are in the hunt."

Konan put a folder in front of every one of us. "These are your mission files. It had everything and anything you need to know about this mission," Konan said, taking her seat again. "Read it and discuss it with everyone in your group. Every file is different and is specified for that member."

I took the folder and opened it to the first page. It read:"_Member's name:_ _Hayashi, Tomomi._

_ASSIGNMENT: Create a diversion in the camp._

_With the diversion group, you will all enroll as students. Your role is: LOUD TEENAGER. Memorize the following dialogues with your group._"

_What? _I thought as I read the passage over and over again. This is _not _good. I can't act. I seriously can't act to save my life. Not even good enough to act for toffee.

Damn it.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review on my grammar, plot, story and my OC, Tomomi! Sorry for the delay. I've been really busy all week. In fact, I've got science and math homework that needs to be done now. So… I was just curious. Um… so… is my fanfic like a Mary-Sue? I've been checking out other Deidara/OC stories and I've been wondering if mine is a Mary-Sue fic too, with the OOC-ness, the perfect-ness, the corny-ness and etc. Oh, man. I hope Tomomi isn't a Mary-Sue. Especially with that last paragraph there, with the **_**WTF-ness **_**reaction from her. I read this Deidara/OC fanfic with the "OMG I'M TOTALLY GONNA DIE." So it was deemed a Mary-Sue. Tomomi's based on me, so I try to imagine myself in what I would do if I had to act as a loud teenager. And **_**yes**_**, I seriously can't act. Whenever I try acting serious and angry, I randomly burst out laughing and people give 'WTF' looks.**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I've already formulated most of the premise of this story. I only need to type it out. Thanks for the reviews, by the way!**


	10. Chapter 10: I Love Ramen!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

I Love Ramen!

_Bring! Bring!_

It was lunchtime. We all stood up from our seats and walked out of the conference room, completely silent. Maybe because we were too busy being engrossed in our folders. As we walked out of the registration office, the hallways were packed with students. Suddenly, I felt someone touch my arm. It was Konan.

"C'mon, let's get some lunch!" she said, pulling me through the crowd of people.

When we got to the cafeteria, a long line was present. The cafeteria counters had red Japanese lanterns with the kanji that read '_eat_' in solid black lettering.

"Cool. It looks like we'll have Japanese cuisine here today." Konan said, looking at the food.

"Naruto, you baka! Don't you know that eating too much ramen is bad for your health? It's full of carbs and cholesterol!" I heard a _very _familiar voice complain. I glanced back to see Sakura nagging Naruto in an irritated tone.

"But Sakura-chaaaaaaan, it's so good!" Naruto whined, holding his frog shaped wallet in his hands.

"Bah, _whatever_. Do whatever the _hell _you want to do. Eat anything you want to. I mean, _I _was only trying to give you some 'friendly advice' (Yeah, right)!" She harrumphed, storming away, with Naruto following close behind her. "Sakura-chan! Gomen!" he pleaded as they both exited the cafeteria. I honestly felt sad for Naruto. Yeah, yeah, I didn't know him that very well but still. _This _is what happens whenever Sakura reigns supreme.

"…Tomomi? Hello? Earth to Tomomi here! What're you looking at?" Konan said, waving a hand in front of my face. I quickly shook my head and muttered a 'nothing' under my breath, turning my attention to the trays.

"Here," I said, giving one to Konan. We looked at the wide variety of sushi and got a pair of tongs.

"Ooh! They have kani maki!" I squealed, putting a few wrapped and individual pieces on my tray. After getting sushi from the sushi bar, we saw a wide variety of Japanese meals.

"What're you getting?" I asked Konan, who was looking at the menu. "Hmm… ebi tempura…" Konan said uncertainly before smiling. "Ebi tempura, please!" She said to the lunch lady, who then shouted at the kitchen to make her order. "I want ramen! Pork ramen!" I exclaimed, grinning at the lunch lady. Then, we received our order and went to the beverage section, where the drinks were buried in ice. There were many kinds of drinks, really. There was even peach soda! Konan fished out a can of peach tea and I took out a bottle of green tea. Then, we paid for our food, got our eating utensils and sat with the rest of the Akatsuki. At the table, Konan took her seat across Pein and I sat by Tobi, who tilted his mask up a fraction as he ate his dango quite messily. I curiously looked at his lips, wondering what he looked like. "Hi, Tomomi-chan!" Tobi greeted before resuming on eating his lunch. Then, _he _finally got here. He had boiled eggs in surimi on his tray along with a can of Pepsi. As soon as he saw me, he scowled. I scowled back and scowled even more when he took his seat on the only empty spot… which was right next to me.

"_MOVE_, yeah!" He said, nudging my leg with his foot. No, actually, he just kicked me, _right _in the shin.

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath, telling Tobi to scoot over a little.

_He _sat down and set his tray on the table, digging into his food as if he hadn't eaten in ages. I gave him a slightly disgusted look before taking in a spoonful of ramen. And all of a sudden, my eyes held a starry gaze as I looked at my ramen bowl. _Ah, ramen, _I thought. _It's so good! I mean, how could it NOT be good? Tasty clear soup, delicious noodles, fresh vegetables and most importantly, roasted pork! _I snapped out of my trance and continued eating.

"Deidara-kun!" a high-pitched voice 'seductively' (Yeah, right) called out. We all turned to see yet _another _busty girl. This time, the girl had platinum blonde hair and blue contacts. Yes, they're contacts. They're just a solid cerulean blue. "I think you forgot something, hmm?" Deidara replied sneaking a black piece of cloth in her manicured hand. After a second's thought on _what _that thing was, I got my cringe on. _Ohh… Ew, oh, HELL no! It's her underwear!_

"Thanks, baby! See you tonight?" She exclaimed, stuffing it in her jacket pocket. He nodded, winking at her as she walked (sauntered) away.

"You f*cking pimp!" Hidan exclaimed, giving a hearty laugh, high-fiving it with Kisame. I rolled my eyes and tried to focus on my food, but I couldn't help but steal a glance at Deidara. He was laughing along with them and grinning and I couldn't help but stare. _He's got a nice laugh… _I absent-mindedly thought. Then, I mentally slapped myself as soon as my mind processed it. I looked away, focusing on my ramen. I honestly didn't know why I was acting like this. I mean, he just _kicked _me in the _shin_! And yet, I couldn't stop this slight bubbly feeling in my stomach as I felt my cheeks go warm. I shook the thoughts out of my head, focusing on eating my food before it got cold.

I sighed, opening up a packet of soy sauce and putting it in a saucer. Then, I opened up my sushi and ate it one by one. After eating my food, I sat, looking at my empty ramen bowl as the bell rang.

I stood up, along other Akatsuki members, having only _one _thought ring clear through my mind:

_Damn hormones._

**How was it? Did it suck? Sorry if it was short. It was only a filler chapter. And maybe you've noticed that Tomomi's starting to have a tiny crush on Deidara! Please review on my grammar, plot and on my OC, Tomomi. If any of the original **_**Naruto! **_**characters are OOC, please do tell!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I will be making a new story in the near future. The pairing's undecided but I've already formulated a plot. I think I'll have the first chapter posted in a month, if not next week or the week after that. Thanks again for all of your reviews!**


	11. Chapter 11: Doritos and Coke

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Doritos and Coke

_Bring! Bring!_

I sighed with relief to myself. That was enough school for the day. Seriously, trigonometry nearly gave me a headache and that subject alone is bad enough. Plus, I've got homework. I need to do an essay for English class and a few pages of trigonometry homework.

I walked out of the school, heading for the school parking lot. "Hey, Tomomi," I heard someone call out my name. It was Karin.

"Tomomi, so… uh… when do we start this little… _plan _of ours?" She asked deviously, looking from side to side. I pondered on it for a few seconds. "Um… maybe when we have a more accurate idea of what we're going to do…?" I said, unsure of myself.

"Okay," she said. And in a second, her eyes held a dreamy look as a blush arose on her face. "Karin…? Karin? Karin?" I asked, waving a hand in front of her face, yet she didn't snap out of it. "S-Sasuke-kun!" she suddenly cried out. I whipped my head into the direction of where Karin was looking at… No, scratch that, in the direction where Karin is currently _running _to. _Oh my Kami! _I thought, running after her. "K-Karin! What're you _doing_?" I asked, trying to grab her arm.

"Sasuke-kun! You're so hot when you—" Karin started, rubbing her body against his (Woah, dude). _No! She's gonna blow the entire plan! _I frantically thought as Sasuke glared at her and shoved her off. Just when Karin was about to tackle him… I tackled _her _instead, sending us both flying to the ground.

"Ow…" she cried out, rubbing her head.

"Kami, I'm _so sorry_, Karin!" I apologized, helping her up.

"Where's my Sasuke-kun?" she worriedly asked, looking around the area. Sasuke had just gotten in his midnight blue Porsche Carrera GT. With a roar of his engine, he drove off in incredible speed. Seriously, I see _tire marks_.

"He's long gone, Karin…" I said, slightly shaking my head.

"Oh," she simply said, sounding a tad bit hurt. "So… can you walk me to the bus stop?" she asked, looking at me. "Yeah, of course I can!" I replied, giving an encouraging smile. She sadly smiled back.

"Don't worry, Karin! Sasuke will be head over heels for you soon!" I said, giving her a little pat. "Yeah… Yeah!" she said, beaming at me. "C'mon, let's go," I said, pulling her by the arm to the bus stop.

Before we went to the bus stop, we stopped by a small mini-mart and bought two packs of Doritos and two cans of Coke. We sat by the bench and just snacked on them. "_Mmm_, this is _so _good!" Karin cried out, munching on a big chip. "I know, right," I said before taking a small sip of Coke.

"You know… It's been such a long time since I've eaten Doritos…" Karin said, looking at her Doritos.

"Oh, really? Why?" I asked, slightly disappointed to see that my bag of Doritos had only cheesy crumbs left.

"…Sasuke…" she said, smiling sadly at her Coke before taking a sip.

"Sasuke?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"I… when I first met Sasuke in the sixth grade, I… I don't know, I just fell in love with him… So naturally, I started to get conscious of my body and… I just stopped eating junk food." She told me, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "But… he doesn't even notice me! I mean, I did _everything _what those magazines said. 'Flaunt what you've got' and all that crap."

"Karin…" I worriedly said, not really knowing what to say in these kinds of situations. A blanket of silence covered us both. I mean, you can practically slice the tension in half… like cake!

"You know what?" she half-whispered. "When I was in the sixth grade, I went camping… We had to go on this scavenger hunt. I… I got lost and it was really, really dark by that time. Then, I heard some rustling sounds coming from this _insanely _huge bush. It was a bear. Just when it was about to attack me, he scared it away with a torch. Sasuke… saved me." She finished with a small smile on her face. I scooted right next to her and pat her on the back.

"Don't worry! Sasuke will fall in _love _with you! Believe it!" I said, giving her a confident smile. Her eyes widened a fraction as she smiled at me. "Do you know who you're sounding like right now?" Karin asked, her smile growing wider.

"No, who?" I asked, slightly curious.

"You sound like Naruto!" she cheerfully said, giggling a bit.

Suddenly, a bus stopped right in front of us. "That's my ride; see you tomorrow, Tomomi! And thanks for taking me to the bus stop!" Karin said as she stepped in the bus. Then, we gave each other silly grins, waving our hands a little. Once the bus had turned the corner, I walked back to the school parking lot.

_BEEP, BEEP!_

I turned my head to see Kankuro waving at me from his van. "Hey!" he greeted, grinning at me. I grinned back and opened up the car door. There, I saw Temari with a few sheets of paper in her hands. "Hey, Tomomi!" Temari said, giving me a quick glance before looking back at the papers. I closed the door and got comfortable.

"Boo!" someone whispered in my ear.

I shrieked, and turned to see Gaara with a devious smile on his face. "G-Gaara!" I choked out, clutching my chest. "D-Don't scare me like that!"

"Not my fault that you're high-strung." He said, smirking at me. I chuckled, smiling at him. I playfully hit him on the back. "So where are we heading?" Kankuro asked, driving out of the school.

"Somewhere where there aren't any damn fangirls," I head Gaara muttering under his breath. "Gaara? You have _fangirls_?" I asked, grinning at him. He frowned, groaning a bit. "He does," Temari answered, grinning at me. "There's this girl named Matsuri. When the teacher assigned him to tutor her, she _totally _swooned over him!" she finished, laughing a bit.

…

…

…

"'Oh, Gaara-kun! You're so hot! Make love to me, Gaara-kun!'" Kankuro said in a high-pitched tone, mimicking the fangirl and laughing after. Everyone in the van laughed really hard with the exception of Gaara, who just gave us death glares and rolled his eyes at us.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review. I'd really appreciate it!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Don't forget to check out my other fics!**


	12. Chapter 12: Songwriting at the Skatepark

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Songwriting at the Skate Park

After our laughing fit, we all decided to go to the skate park because the guys wanted to go skateboarding. Kankuro parked the van conveniently in front of the skating area so we could see what they were doing. Kankuro was by the skate ramps and Gaara was doing a lip trick by one of them. One of the skate ramps, I mean. Right now, I was in the van's back with Temari. The side door was slid open and Temari and I were sitting cross-legged on the shaggy mat inside. We had stopped by Seven-Eleven before driving in and a few bags of chips and a few cans of soda were present. I didn't get one though. A can of soda, I mean. Instead, I got a Slurpy, which in my opinion, is one of my favorite drinks. _Ever_.

Temari is currently being engrossed with those papers again, constantly erasing and writing. I mean, with all of that rewriting she did, I'm surprised to see that the paper didn't have this gigantic hole on it. Seriously.

After a few minutes of discreetly looking at her write and alternating with watching the guys pull a few tricks, I finally cracked.

"What're you writing?" I asked, maybe a tad _too _curiously. It sounded more like a demand than a question.

"Songs. I'm writing them for our band." She answered, looking at the piece of paper in her hands. "Hey, can you get that guitar back there?"

I got the guitar and passed it to her. She pulled a guitar pick out of her wallet and positioned the guitar on her lap into a more comfortable position. Not for the guitar, but for her! Her comfort, I mean. Bah, forget it.

She looked (glared) at one of the sheets of paper and positioned the fingers on her left hand on the guitar's neck. She strummed one time before pausing all of the sudden.

"What's wrong?" I asked, shifting closer to her. She looked at me before saying, "Tomomi, you do the guitar."

"Um… okay."

She placed the sheet of paper in front of me and I studied it carefully, trying to memorize the chords as much as I could without looking at the paper. I licked my lips before taking the pick and playing out the intro, not really sure how to strum according to how Temari wanted it to sound like. She opened her mouth and began to sing.

"_After all this time, how could we just break apart? After all this time, how could you just leave me in the dark? Honestly, I'm hurting inside; my broken heart I've got to hide. After all that we've been through, I'm over it; I'm over you._

_Even though it's killing me now, believe this. The old times we've had you'll want to reminisce. But you've done it and threw my love away._

_I'm over it; I'm over you…_

_Don't you dare, don't you dare come back! I need true love; that's what you lack._

_After all this time, I've never felt so dignified._

_Never felt so free._

_You may have broken my heart, but you'll never break me. I'm over it; I'm over you._

_Don't you even come apologizing to me!_

_You kept me in the dark; hell, you cheated on me—"_

"Argh!" Temari groaned, taking the sheet of paper and erasing a bit of the last part of and tapping her mechanical pencil on the paper.

"It's good," I say, trying to be encouraging. In my opinion, it really _is _good, but by the way Temari is abusing the paper, her eraser and her pencil, she must think otherwise.

"Aw, Temari! Don't be so stressed out!" I said, raising my eyebrow at the paper. "It's really, really good! You don't need to change anything!"

She sat up and rubbed her temples. "Demo… you think Konoha Jam Recordings would like this?" she asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"W-wha—? Temari, you're _seriously _considering doing this?" I asked, looking at the sheets of paper strewn all over the van.

"Duh! Of course I am, Tomomi! I mean, this could end up _so well_!"

I paused and took a brief moment to imagine life in a famous band, like Paramore. Then, I smiled, taking the guitar pick out again. "I want to be a billionaire, so freaking bad… Buy all of the things I never had…" I jokingly sang, quoting the song Billionaire. Seriously, I _love_ that song. Bruno Mars sounds like a freaking angel. She laughed before playfully hitting my head.

"Ack!"

"I'm serious! Imagine our names in huge billboards advertising our concert in cool places all over the world! Like Los Angeles! I've always wanted to go to L.A.!" she cried out as her eyes held a murky look in them. Tch, I bet she's daydreaming again.

"Ne, let's just do a few covers and see if they work, okay?" I suggested, looking at the back of the van (where the snacks were). I got up and went (crawled) over to the back of the van and reached for a plastic bag which held the snacks. I opened it and fished out a bag of Doritos (I like them.) and stared at its packaging intently.

…

…

_To eat or not to eat? _I thought before shaking my head a little. Sakura's nonstop rehearsing on Shakespeare during the 5th grade must be getting to me. I _swear_, for a full _two hours_, she was just there in the study, pondering on whether to be or not to be! So basically, all she said was: "To be or not to be!" for a time span of two hours. I actually thought, at the time, that there was a recorder with a recording of Sakura's voice. And then, I thought that the recorder broke, repeated that line _over and over _and ran out of batteries after two hours. Weird, right?

I shrugged my shoulders before opening up the bag of chips and taking in a big whiff of the cheesy smell. Yes, I know, I'm a queer. So sue me. I shoved my hand in and took out a small handful of yummy Doritos. Then, I offered Temari some. She took a small one and bit into it, focusing on the sheets of paper before her. I looked at the skating area and started laughing.

It was Gaara.

His fangirls found him, surprisingly. Right now, he was on the high ramps safe and sound because his fangirls are too chicken to climb up. It was for the best anyway; Gaara would stay safe and so would his fangirls. Because, judging with how high that ramp is, I doubt that his fangirls would get very far. I looked around for Kankuro and saw him hitting on a blonde girl.

_SLAP._

"Pervert!"

_Oh, that's nasty. _I thought, cringing a little bit as I saw a palm mark on Kankuro's right cheek. He rubbed it painfully as I saw his mouth move soundlessly. As I tried to read his lips, I only got the words: 'slap', 'stupid', 'gentleman' and 'date'.

I chuckled, digging in the bag of Doritos. _I bet he used a line from that pick-up line book he bought from that guy in his school! _I thought, mentally patting myself on the back.

After Temari scared Gaara's fangirls away, Gaara was able to skate down safely after being stuck there for nearly half an hour. Then, Kankuro started the car and drove me home. On the way, Gaara was muttering something about 'annoying fangirls', Kankuro was mumbling about that blonde girl and Temari was speaking to herself as she rehearsed the lyrics over and over. But me? I just stayed quiet, partially because I was too occupied with snacking on Doritos to give a damn.

Kankuro stopped the van in front of the gates and I hopped off, bidding them goodbye. "See you later!" I said, grinning at them before walking in through the guard house.

Not before I took _one _step inside the manor, a maid showed up and hurriedly told me, "Tomomi-sama, we'll have guests over for dinner tonight! Please get ready!" before rushing down the hall.

"Uh… okay." I said to nobody in particular before walking up the stairs.

When I got to my room, I opened up my wardrobe and started to ponder on what to wear…

Since it was a guest of Aunt Chizu's, I'll probably need to wear something simple yet formal.

_I know it's here… somewhere… _I thought, sifting through my clothes. Then, once I felt its firm fabric, I smiled to myself.

_Found it._

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review on my story, plot and on my OC, Tomomi! If any of the original **_**Naruto! **_**characters are OOC, please tell me! Right now, I'm stuck on what to do for my second multiple-chapter story, The Uchiha Heiress. (Previously **_**Tangled Up In You**_**) I want to make it **_**really good**_**. Anyways, I hope you check out my other stories! Thanks for all of the reviews!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I'm really wondering if Deidara and Tomomi will ever have a spark. When I asked you whom you wanted Tomomi to end up with, most— well, **_**all **_**of you chose Deidara. But for the plot twists I have in mind, your opinion may change…**


	13. Chapter 13: Dinner's a Disaster!

**Me rihanna**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Dinner's a Disaster!

As soon as I prepared my outfit, I went in the bathroom and took a short shower. I walked out of the bathroom after and put on my outfit, starting with a black high-waist skirt and a silky midnight blue top tucked in. Opening my wardrobe again, I contemplated on which pair of shoes to wear.

_Knock, knock!_

"Coming," I said, opening my bedroom door. The main housekeeper was in front of my door. "Miss Hayashi, there's been a change in plans. Madam Haruno has decided to bring you, Miss Haruno and her guests to a new Chinese restaurant uptown. Please dress appropriately," she said, looking me up and down with a single eyebrow raised. She walked away with a stiff posture and I closed the door. _She always preferred Sakura… _I thought, looking at the white double-doors lost in thought. Shaking the random thoughts away, I put on a pair of black pumps. Whenever you're with Aunt Chizu, you always have to dress like this. If not, it's an automatic fashion faux pas and she'll chew you out for the rest of the evening. I learned this _way _back in the 5th grade, when I decided to wear Converse to this fancy-schmancy French restaurant where everybody wore these fancy-schmancy mink coats, pearls and ugly dresses they thought were elegant. Eh, whatever.

I stood up and walked to the vanity mirror and dried my hair. Then, I put on light blue eye shadow and applied a thin layer of light pink lipstick. Sighing to myself, I took my black sequined purse out and put my phone in it, along with some money just in case. Taking one last look in the mirror, I walked out and down the hall.

Once I was on the ground floor, I walked out the front door and in the limousine, waiting for us right in front, by the driveway. Taking a window seat inside, I closed the door and sat there, looking at my shoes.

Then, I felt the irresistible urge to open and close the mini fridge, which I did, by the way. I had a bottle of orange juice in hand shortly after. Truth be told, I wasn't really in an eating mood. Those Doritos a while ago made me quite full. I mean, who _wouldn't _eat Doritos until they were stuffed?

Um, Sakura and Aunt Chizu, maybe. Oh! And those runway models who eat nothing but salad.

Or so I've heard.

I heard the door open and saw Sakura get in. She was wearing a hot pink mini-dress and these scary looking gladiator heels. _It looks like you're caging your feet like a wild animal, Sakura… _I thought, trying not to let the sound of my hard-to-control snickering be heard. She gave me a look before pulling her iPhone 4G out of her purse. Then, Aunt Chizu got in, wearing a lavender evening dress with a shawl matching it.

"Let's go," Aunt Chizu said, looking 'elegantly stoic' (yeah, right) at the driver's mirror.

The 'elegantly stoic' look is a look I see Aunt Chizu, Sakura, Aunt Chizu's friends and Sakura's European friends wear almost _every time _I see them. Your face has no emotion in it but you tilt your head upwards, giving a really conceited vibe. And whenever someone asks you something, you slowly tilt your head in their direction and answer you sarcastically. The thought about Aunt Chizu's friends led me to pondering about _who _our guest was. Eh, whatever.

"Tomomi, pour me a glass of champagne. The way uptown will take a while, inevitably." Aunt Chizu said, pulling a black folder out of her black leather bag. I nodded and got a champagne glass out and pulled out a bottle of chilled champagne. Licking my lips a little, I got the screw and stabbed it in the cork, carefully pulling it out.

Yet the cork did _not _budge. I pulled a little harder, putting the bottle between my legs for more grip. I sneaked a glance at Aunt Chizu and Sakura, who, thankfully, were doing their own thing. After a few seconds, my hands started to get sweaty.

"Aren't you done yet?" Aunt Chizu asked, rolling her eyes, not even looking at me.

After wiping my sweaty hands on the cork screw, I had a firm grip on it. Then, I pulled it, _hard_.

"Ngh…"

_Pop!_

An audible pop was heard as the champagne started to stream down the car rug. I mentally slapped myself as I poured in a moderate amount of the drink into the glass, giving it to Aunt Chizu, who held it in her palm. I looked at the champagne bottle before shoving the cork back in, as much as I could fit it in.

After about nearly half an hour, we reached the restaurant, which was really crowded with people, decked out in all sorts of fancy-schmancy clothes.

_Oh my Kami… _I thought to myself. _Is that a dead _ferret_ around that woman's neck? Oh my Kami, it _is_! _ Then, I got my cringe on.

Aunt Chizu stepped out, looking 'elegantly stoic'. Sakura followed suit, scanning the crowd. Bah, I bet she's probably finding a date or something.

I got out of the limo, consciously fixing my hair. I followed Aunt Chizu and Sakura, who were mingling with other important people and stuff. After said mingling, we walked towards the restaurant's doors.

"Hello, miss. Do you have a reservation?" asked an attendant, smiling at Aunt Chizu.

"It's under 'Haruno'," Aunt Chizu replied, not looking at her. The attendant's smile slightly faltered into a grimace as she led us to our table. We passed by numerous tables and people, all formally dressed. The restaurant was nicely decorated, I might add. Red columns supported the multi-story restaurant; fancy-schmancy round tables with glass 'merry-go-rounds' filled the vast tiled space; the area smelled of lemongrass incense, really. There were plenty of Chinese foods being served on silver platters. Looking at all this food started to make me hungry.

We walked out to the back of the restaurant and see this small stone bridge, leading to these small glass rooms. As we all walked across the bridge, I noticed that the clear stream under it had plenty of Koi fish. I smiled, admiring their bright orange colors. I had a small smile on my face as we walked through the garden… flowers filled the area. _Maybe dinner won't be so bad after all! _I thought, smiling at the flora. The attendant slid the glass door open and we all walked in. Once I saw who our guests were, my smile turned into a scowl.

It's _him_.

"Children, meet Mr. Iwa No Yosuke and his charming son, Deidara." Aunt Chizu said, smiling at us. The attendant quickly got into action and slid the chair out for Aunt Chizu. Then, Sakura's. She was going to mine, which was exactly _beside his_, to slide it out, but I declined. So I could pull the chair out myself, I mean. She passed us menus and I opened it up, browsing the thing for something to eat.

_Thump._

I stiffened, glaring at my menu.

_Thump._

I glared at the baka known as Deidara, who was glaring in return. "What?" I mouthed, covering my face with my menu.

He stuck his tongue out at me.

Well, that is just _immature_. I mean, really.

"Baka," I mouthed, glaring daggers at him as I held the red menu. He smirked at me before turning to his menu.

_Thump._

I kicked the idiot blonde back, who had been kicking my foot ever since I sat in this seat. Then, it was _my _turn to smirk victoriously. Then, I proceeded to stick my tongue out at him.

"Tomomi!" Aunt Chizu said sharply. I put the menu down, smiling sheepishly at her.

"Tell the girl your order," she said, then turning to Yosuke-san. I looked at the flustered attendant and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Erm…" I looked at the menu. "I'll have fried rice in bean curd, egg drop soup and chrysanthemum tea; cold, please," I said closing the menu and giving it to her. After the attendant took our orders, we were all conversing with each other.

"So, Tomomi, do you have any hobbies, un?" Yosuke-san asked, smiling at me.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Aunt Chizu cut my off. "No, of _course _not, Yosuke-sama; she simply _cannot _do anything to save her life! Whereas my lovely daughter, Sakura, can play the violin _and _the piano! She—"

"You're wrong, yeah!" Deidara retorted, closing his eyes. "Tomomi can play the electric guitar, hmm!"

_What the hell? _I thought, looking at him curiously.

Yosuke-san smiled at me. Aunt Chizu gave me a suspicious look. Sakura gave me a look of distaste.

"_Really_, Tomomi? Because I have _never _recalled buying you a guitar; let alone seeing you _play _one." Aunt Chizu said, raising a single, thin eyebrow at me.

"Erm…" I was in a loss for words. _Deidara, _you idiot_, you just made things _worse_! _I fumed, looking at _him_.

"She really can, un! Just ask _anyone _who was in the music room, second period, hmm!"

Okay… now _that _was unexpected. Aunt Chizu and Sakura's face slowly relaxed (but not in the inside, I'll bet) and returned to looking 'elegantly stoic', not wanting to make fools of themselves in front of some V.I.P. and his idiot son.

Then, Aunt Chizu started to talk to Yosuke-san as if nothing happened. As for Sakura, she was sneaking glances at her phone, probably waiting for some guy she met to reply to her text or something. Kami forbid Sasuke be the one texting Sakura.

The dim sum arrived. An array of them was set before us, right on the glass merry-go-round. The merry-go-rounds were useful for getting food on the opposite end of the table without having to stand up. You just spin it towards yourself and use the serving spoon to help yourself.

I held my metal chopsticks as the plates and bowls were being set in front of us. After the waiters left, we started eating. I put a couple of shrimp dumplings on my plate as I bit into a steamed green tea bun. I savored the… unique taste. The bun was small, so I finished it in about three to four bites. Five, tops.

I ate the dumplings and got a deep-fried spring roll. I was going to dip it in the plum sauce until…

_Plop!_

I gasped as the cursed spring roll slipped out of my chopsticks and into the plum sauce dip, spilling most of it on Deidara, Sakura and myself. Everyone but Yosuke-san glared at me.

"E-eh! Gomen, everyone… I'm so clumsy," I said, biting my lip under everyone (Except Yosuke-san's) glares.

"You damn right you are, hmm!" Deidara spat out, grabbing a piece of tissue. I glared at him, chewing the inside of my cheek.

After everybody stopped glaring at me, we all resumed eating.

_Thump._

I glared at Deidara as his lip curled up into a smirk. I glared, stepping on his foot—_hard_.

"Ow! The hell, yeah?" Deidara demanded, glaring at me. I put on an innocent look and hoped nobody noticed. Fortunately, Yosuke-san and Aunt Chizu were in a conversation concerning business and Sakura was talking to that Deidara-lookalike, Ino.

"I _know _right? He is just, like, _so _hot!" Sakura gushed. It was probably about Sasuke.

He glared and got a dumpling… Then, he positioned it over my soy sauce saucer. _Oh, _hell_ no… _I thought as my eyes widened. Before I got to move away in time, he dropped the dumpling in, splattering the sauce all over me and my clothes.

I looked at him before getting a dumpling to do the same to him… Then, I saw Deidara's glass of Coke. Smirking evilly, I pretended to position it over Deidara's vinegar saucer… Only to knock his glass of Coke all over him. Hah.

"That's it! Deidara, Tomomi; behave yourselves! Wash up in the comfort rooms, now! I shall not tolerate this kind of animalistic behavior!" Aunt Chizu barked. Deidara and I glared at each other before we both stood up and went outside of the room.

"This is _all your fault_, you idiot!" I growled at _him_.

"No, it _so _isn't, hmm!"

"Yes, it is!"

"_No_, it is _not_, yeah!"

"Nuh-uh! _You_ were the one who _started _it in the first place!" I kicked him in the shin.

"Ow! Crazy bitch, hmm!"

"_I _am _not _crazy! I'm just getting even!"

"You f*cking stained my clothes, hmm! _I smell like soy sauce and plums_, yeah!"

"Hey! That was an accident! But when _you_ decided to get even, you splattered soy sauce over _both _of us!"

"Accident? Yeah, right, hmm!"

"Ugh! I can't believe you're my science partner! And, what the _hell _do girls see in _you_?"

"Ouch, hmm! That really 'hurt', un."

"You stupid blonde piece of—"

"Blah, blah, blah, un! Can't you shut your trap for a damn second?"

"Why you little—"

"Oh, really? 'Little'? Newsflash, un: I'm taller than you, yeah."

A brief silence fell on us as we glared at each other.

"Man-whore."

"Loser."

I threw my hands up in frustration, groaning loudly. "You are such a jerk!" I spat out, before walking away. Deidara soon followed after.

I went inside of the restaurant and looked around for the bathroom. Luckily, a waitress came my way, so I decided to ask her where the comfort rooms were.

"Take a left and go straight," she told me in a British accent before walking away. I did what I was told and found the comfort rooms. There was this red silk curtain with a picture of a girl embroidered on it, so I went in there.

I washed up, trying to get the stench of both soy and plum sauces off my clothes, without wetting my clothes too much. Then, I saw a small bottle of talcum powder on a tray, along with a bottle of lotion and a stack of fluffy, white hand towels.

I suddenly got this idea, which _I _thought was pure gold. Taking the talcum powder, I sprinkled it on the wet area of my clothes. After spreading the talcum thoroughly, I shook the excess off.

_Uh… I shouldn't have done that… _I thought, looking at myself in the comfort room mirror. My clothes looked terrible! In fact, it would've been better off stained with sauce, because, _now_, I have this big, white blotch on my blouse, which smelled of various sauces _and _talcum powder.

"You shouldn't have done that, hmm. You look like sh*t, yeah," I glared at the annoying blonde. "You know how to make a girl feel real 'special', baka."

I pulled a piece of tissue out and began to wipe the sticky white substance off.

You know, if you read that last sentence without reading the ones before that, it would've totally meant something _way _different.

Just saying.

"Yeah, well, that's _definitely _how I roll, un!" Deidara exclaimed, not a single hint of sarcasm in his voice as he smirked at me. I rolled my eyes.

"What're you _doing _here anyway? This is the _girl's _comfort room." Unless, you really _are _a lady, instead of a dude who looks like one! Ha, that was _pure genius_.

Once I looked somewhat decent enough to be seen in public, I walked out, pushing a smirking Deidara out of the way.

Both of us went in and resumed more quietly than last time. Apparently, while I was gone, my food arrived. Therefore, my fried rice was totally in need of some reheating. Also, while I was out, Aunt Chizu tried to make a deal with Yosuke-san but he said that he'd think about it.

After dinner we all went to our limos and separated ways. Aunt Chizu kept on giving me the 'evil eye', which _really _scared the hell out of me. When we reached the manor, I wasted no time and got out of the limo, went up the stairs and did my trigonometry homework and my essay for English class. Then, I was thankful enough to change out of the stained clothes and into a big, black shirt and a pair of shorts. I fell on my bed as I slowly fell asleep.

_Meanwhile…_

The limo stopped in front of the Iwa Mansion. Deidara and his father, Iwa no Yosuke stepped out, walking through the large, white double-doors. The younger blonde followed Yosuke into the living room and sat down. A maid rushed in and gave them drinks; a Vodka on the rocks for Yosuke and a glass of orange juice for Deidara. Deidara's drink, of course, had a small amount of Vodka added.

Yosuke felt uncomfortable in his normally comfortable armchair. He stood up, digging around for _what _was making his seat so uncomfortable. His hand pulled up a black lacy bra. _Deidara… _he inwardly groaned, rolling his eyes. He turned to his son.

"Deidara, what is the _meaning _of this, hmm?" he asked, raising the bra up for Deidara to see. Deidara's face immediately reddened as he grinned sheepishly at Yosuke.

"Uh… That's a friend's, un! If you give it to me, I'll make sure she gets it, hmm!" Yosuke looked at his son with a blank expression.

"Now, son, I think it's time you and I had a 'little talk', yeah…" Yosuke said as Deidara groaned.

"Yeah, yeah… Go ahead, dad. Give it your best shot, un."

"Son, I think it's about time you find a nice girl to go steady with."

"Dad, I do _not _do 'steady', hmm!" Deidara scoffed, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, how about Chizu-san's niece, Tomomi—?"

Deidara started choking on his drink. "What? Her? She's a _loser_, yeah!"

"Well, she's feisty—"

"Woah, woah, woah, hmm! Dad! That is just _so _wrong on _so _many different levels, un!"

"Hey! I did _not _mean it like _that_, yeah!"

"Oh, yeah? And why _her _of all people, un?"

"You—Wha—Why not? You two would seem like a nice couple, hmm!"

"Dad; me and _her_? That's off by a long-shot, yeah,"

"Well, you see, son; when I was your age, I used to be quite the ladies' man myself, yeah!"

Deidara rolled his eyes. _He's probably thinking about the 'good ol' days', hmm!_

"Look, un… I-I just don't want to see my son making the same mistakes that I did, hmm. Because of my reckless actions, your mother… she-she divorced me, yeah. Uh… sorry about that, un…"

Deidara stood up, finishing his drink in one gulp, lest his father starts talking about _her_ again.

"Yep. Look, dad, I'm gonna go hit the hay now, hmm…" he said, walking off towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, son!" he heard his father call out.

"You too, un!" Deidara replied, smirking a bit.

He walked in his room, neatly cleaned by the maids while he was out for dinner. He jumped on his bed and turned to his back, staring at the blank white ceiling as he thought about what his father had said.

_Tomomi… hmm? _He pondered, shaking the thoughts away soon after. No way would he fall for such a loser. Well, that's what he _tried _to assure himself with.

He closed his eyes and started to drift off into a still sleep, but before he drifted off into said sleep, a picture of Tomomi's face appeared at the back of his mind.

…

…

_No freaking way I would date her, un._

**There! The long-awaited chapter 13! How was it? Did it suck? Please review on my grammar, plot and on my OC, Tomomi. I'd really appreciate it! Plus, thanks for all of the reviews! I actually never knew that I would get this far. Anyways, don't worry about too much stress on Tomomi. It'll all play out; trust me!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Please check out my other stories and one-shots! I'd really appreciate to see your opinion on them! Thanks again! For the reviews, I mean. Haha~**


	14. Chapter 14: Into Action!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Let's get moving into action!

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

I woke up with a start, jerking my head up from my pillow. I whacked the alarm clock with my palm, promptly making it shut up. Burying my head into my pillow, I dug into the sheets, seriously considering the idea of sleeping all day. After a minute or two, I forced myself to get up. I'll have to admit, it wasn't really easy. _The hardest part of the day is waking up… _I thought, stretching my body. I walked over to my white desk and picked my English essay up. **"**_**What occupation do you want to pursue in the future?**_**"**it read in bold black lettering. I answered that I wanted to be a musician, I kid you not. You know why? Because I _love _music. And, to be frank, I'm actually quite good at making it. But if Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and I made a demo, would it be good enough for Konoha Jam? I'm honestly afraid that they'll reject us. And I don't think I could handle that kind of rejection. Our band doesn't even have a _name _yet! But Temari, Kankuro and Gaara seem really into this… I should really be considering this too. _Like Temari said; it's worth a try, ne? Imagine if we actually got a recording contract! _I thought to myself, finding myself daydreaming about Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and I, flying all over the world in our very own private jet. But then, there's going to inevitably be the paparazzi, the bodyguards, the jetlag, no private life and… okay, I'll stop now.

By the time I snapped out of my trance, I looked at the clock before mentally slapping myself. _Holy crap, it's 7:49! _I thought, rushing into the bathroom and doing my thing. Once I got out, I got dressed in a rush, practically _jumping _into my shoes. I grabbed my English essay and my trig homework— which was very poorly done— and shoved them in my bag. I ran down the stairs but slowed my pace as I made my way to the dining room. There, I saw _nothing_. No Aunt Chizu, no Sakura, no _food_. But on the bright side, the table and chairs were still there. Sense my sarcasm? You do? Good. "Miss Hayashi! Why are you still standing there?" a maid asked.

"Eh, I woke up late…?" I lied, sheepishly rubbing my head for effect. She jokingly rolled her eyes and brought me to the kitchen, which smelled of food (obviously). There, the maid made me a quick breakfast that consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich, a bottle of orange juice and a banana. I thanked her before running down out the manor. As I ran down the sloping driveway, I nearly tripped on my own feet! There, I saw Kankuro's van waiting for me by the gates. I got in, greeting them all good morning.

"Hey, Tomomi!" Kankuro greeted, giving me a quick glance. "Have you been waiting long?" I asked, closing the door as Kankuro began driving down the road.

"Uh… big test. Gotta study," Temari mumbled under her breath, reading this _ridiculously _thick textbook. "She _so _forgot to study! She was too busy talking to some guy she met online." Kankuro said, snickering a bit. Temari shut her book, hitting Kankuro upside the head. "Baka! Shut up," she menacingly growled, glaring at him. The anger in her tone promptly made him shut up. I smiled at both of them before taking my sandwich out, taking a bite out of it.

"Hey, care to do the honors?" Gaara asked, giving me a stack of CDs. I smirked, taking them from him. I browsed through the wide selection before taking a CD out and inserting it in the CD slot. _Careful _by Paramore blasted out of the speakers. The bass and guitar of the intro caused vibrations to echo throughout my chest. I started nodding my head to the beat. Temari rolled her eyes, saying something about not being able to concentrate on her studies. By now, Kankuro was headbanging really hard. Well, he _was _until he hit his head on the steering wheel. After finishing my sandwich, I took the banana out, peeled it and bit into it. But when I looked at Gaara— who was looking at me— I noticed that he was blushing and his nose was bleeding.

"Gaara, nosebleed!" I exclaimed, getting a couple of tissues from the back of the van. Gaara hastily looked away, covering his nose. I held the tissues out to him and he gave me a small smile before wiping his nose. Temari raised an eyebrow at us before hitting him on the back. "Pervert!" she yelled out, catching the attention of a few pedestrians.

We were tripping on Paramore but unfortunately, we reached the gated of Konoha Academy. Kankuro turned the volume down as he drove up. I got out of the car and bid them goodbye. As soon as I walked inside, I found myself face to face with Kisame. Well, more like face to chest because Kisame's tall and stuff. He looked at me and grinned. "If it ain't the newbie! C'mon, kid, we've all been waiting for you," he said, placing his really big hand on my shoulder. After walking down the halls, I found the Akatsuki standing by some lockers. I walked straight up to Konan.

"Morning, Konan-chan!" I greeted, beaming at her. Konan turned around to face me and smiled. She brought me aside. "Morning, Tomomi! Guess what!" she exclaimed, looking side to side. "What?" I asked, completely perplexed. She held the bottle of tomato perfume up. "Today, we execute mission 'Hook Karin up with Sasuke'!"

My eyes slightly widened. "Does Karin know yet?"

"Well, duh, of _course _she does! I've _always _wanted to play matchmaker!" she exclaimed, shaking my shoulder vigorously.

"Konan," Pein called out. Konan turned to him, pulling the 'elegantly stoic' look.

"Yes, Pein-san?" she spoke softly in a tone not very similar to the tone she used when she was talking to me. _Split-personality much?_

"Do you have the itinerary prepared for all members yet?" he queried, looking at her sternly.

"Yes; I've also booked our transportation services."

"Ah, excellent,"

All of a sudden, this guy pops up in front of me. "Look-ee here! It's guitar girl!" he exclaimed, raising his hands with his thumbs and pinkies upright. _What the hell? 'Guitar girl'? _I thought, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Heh heh, I'm Akihiro! You can call me Hiro or hero," He said, smirking at me.

"…" Truth be told, I was speechless. What the _heck _do I say to him? Akihiro chuckled nervously, sweatdropping a bit. "You know me! I'm the bassist!" he said, making his hands do an air-guitar movement. "From music class; second period!"

Then, it hit me. "O-oh! Hey," I said smiling at him. He scooted up right next to me and smirked. "Say, you free tonight?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively. My left eye promptly started twitching. _N-Nani? He's asking me out! _I thought, as my face flushed a shade of red. I opened my mouth to turn down his, erm, 'offer', but someone already beat me to it.

"No way would she ever go out with _you_, hmm! Get lost, kid. She's outta your league, yeah!" _Deidara _interrupted, pushing me away and sizing Akihiro up.

"Oh, look! It's the cross-dressing _Barbie_." Akihiro jokes loudly, smirking at him.

_Ding! Ding! Bassist guy: 1 Deidara: 0!_

"You better get the _f*cking hell _out of our way, hmm!"

"Why should I? Guitar girl here _hates _you!" _Well, that's true._

"Get the _f*ck _out of my way, yeah!"

"And if I don't?"

"I'll punch your f*cking face in, un!"

"Bah, no way you'll ever have the guts to do that! You're too much of a p*ssy to do that. Plus, you'll probably break a nail or something," Akihiro said with mock pity. But dude, he's kind of annoying me now. "You'll be crying 'wah, wah, wah' all the way to your mom—"

_THUD!_

Deidara punched Akihiro! _And it's a tie! _I thought, my eyes widening a bit. Deidara glared at the guy furiously. Sasori and Kisame began restraining him from hurting the guy any more.

"That's what you get when you mess with the Akatsuki, hmm!" he cheered, raising his fists in the air as a slightly sadistic grin appeared on his face.

"Calm yourself, brat! Your temper is going to be the death of you!" Sasori hissed, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly. After a few seconds, Deidara eventually cooled down. The bassist dude got up, clutching his bleeding nose and scampered off.

"Sorry, danna… The little sh*t was really pissing me off," I turned to Konan, who looked at me before pulling me aside, whilst Pein actually began _lecturing _Deidara.

"What the hell _happened _just now?" Konan asked, covering her mouth with her hand. I slowly shook my head. "It's complicated…" I said, running a hand through my hair.

I stormed over to Deidara. "What did you do _that _for?" I barked, glaring at him.

"I did you a _favor_, hmm!"

"A 'favor'? You punched him, you idiot!"

"This is the thanks I get, un?"

"What the _hell _should I thank _you _for? You probably broke his _nose_! Good going, baka!"

Deidara rolled his eyes. "The little sh*t should have known better than to mess with what's _mine_— I mean, with the Akatsuki, hmm!"

_He seriously thinks I'm _his_? _"'Mine'?" I echoed, feeling my face flush a beet red. Konan lightly touched my arm. "C'mon, Tomomi… Just leave him. Plus, I have to talk to you about 'something'!" We left the rest of the Akatsuki as we walked to my locker. I opened it, getting the books I needed. Konan looked around, smirking at me. I opened the bottle of orange juice and took a sip. "What?" I asked before taking another sip. "Tomomi… do you like Deidara?" At this point, I began choking on my orange juice. Even worse; some of it went down the wrong pipe and began to seep out of my nostrils. "Tomomi!" Konan exclaimed, whacking me repeatedly on the back. "Inhale; exhale," she slowly said, still whacking me on the back. _Gee, thanks for the help, Konan, _I sarcastically thought, being able to breathe properly once again. I wiped my face on my jacket sleeve before turning to face her. "Konan, are you _crazy_? O-Of course I don't like him! He's an _idiot_!" Konan's face fell. "Oh… well, we gotta hurry and find Karin before the bell rings!" she exclaimed, pulling me down the hall. We were by the school courtyard, where trees and picnic tables surrounded the area. There, we saw Karin hanging out with this guy who had white hair with blue tips and a guy who had spiky orange hair and a heavy build. "Yo, Karin," Konan said, smiling at them.

"Karin's being friendly with the Akatsuki, eh? Good to know," the white haired guy said, smirking at us. Karin whacked him upside the head before walking over to us. "What's up, guys?" Karin asked, smiling sheepishly at us. "Care to introduce us to your friends?" I asked, looking at the white haired guy._ He has really sharp teeth… _I thought, promptly getting my cringe on. _Freaky! _Karin motioned to the sharp-toothed boy. "That _idiot _over there is Suigetsu. The ginger with the heavy build is Juugo. So, what'd you come over here for?"

Konan, Karin and I all went away from any prying eyes (or ears) and we all talked about our little 'plan'. I fixed Karin's hair as Konan put makeup on Karin's face. She didn't put too much though— she said that it was _essential _to capture Karin's natural beauty and to enhance it with a few subtle strokes of the brush here and there. Then, Konan whipped out her ultimate weapon: tomato perfume.

"While I was making our itineraries, I was able to cross-reference the classes we all have with Sasuke. Thankfully, we've got advanced calculus, _double period_!"

"Which part in that sentence was supposed to make me feel thankful?" I retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. Konan rolled her eyes.

_Bring! Bring!_

"Guys! Meet me in front of Asuma-sensei's room, second and third period." Konan said in a rush. "I gotta go! Or else, Kurenai-sensei will give me detention." With that, she took off, running into the building.

For a full minute, we just stood there. Then, we snapped out of our trances and got to class.

_Time to get moving into action! _I exclaimed, skipping to my room with spring in my step.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review! I'm sorry that I took so long to update! I rewrote this chapter 3 times! So, hopefully, the grammar's better, ne? Thanks for all of the reviews, by the way! I'll update as soon as I can!**

**~JellyDonut16~**


	15. Chapter 15: The HookUp

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The Hook-Up

I walked down the halls, side-stepping through the numerous students that were on their own way to their classes. I opened the door and awkwardly took my seat next to Deidara. He looked at me as I cracked my science textbook open. I furrowed my brows in consciousness as I retrieved my pencil case from my bag. He was still staring at me. I looked at the whiteboard before turning to him, feeling myself blush.

"Why are you looking at me?" I demanded (half-shrieked). He just ignored my question and kept on looking at me, with no expression on his face. "What? Do I have something on my face?" I wiped my face with the back of my palm. The blonde shook his head, scrunching his nose up at me. "Yeah, you _do_ have something— _oh_, _wait_, it's just your face, un!" he said, snickering at his little 'joke'. I narrowed my eyes at him before turning to the whiteboard.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, class," Kakashi-sensei said, taking a seat. He still had that 'Icha Icha Paradise' book in his white gloved hands.

"Ohayo gosaimasu, Kakashi-sensei," we greeted in unison. The white-haired man got comfortable in his seat and pulled a clipboard out of his desk. He began ticking our names off, calling each of us and asking if we were present or not. Once that was done, he pulled a coffee mug out and filled it with small pieces of folded up paper. "Alright, class; one person from each pair must come up and choose a slip of paper, which will contain the name of your science project."

Naruto stood up, but Sakura grabbed him by the collar, roughly pulling him down. "_I'll _do it myself," she sneered, getting up and sauntering to the teacher's desk. Kakashi-sensei sweatdropped at how Sakura sauntered over as he shook the mug. I snickered, standing up from my seat. Suddenly, I was pulled down onto my seat by _him_. "Where do you think _you're _going, hmm?" he smirked, standing up. I glared and tripped him with my leg— causing him to fall on his butt— before running over to Kakashi-sensei's desk.

"You b*tch!" Deidara growled, glaring at me menacingly. My eyes widened a small fraction. "Deidara, you know the rules. Rule number 19," Kakashi-sensei deadpanned, looking at him. "'…Use of profanities is strictly prohibited in Konohagakure Academy.'" The two said in unison. I smirked at him before stuffing my hand in the mug, praying to Kami-sama that I didn't get something too hard. I pulled a small piece of paper out, opening it. I scowled, glaring at the cursed piece of paper. _Kami-sama, what did I ever _do _to deserve this? Was it because I simply _tripped _the idiot? _I thought, rubbing my temples. **"Build a scale-model of the human DNA; include with a report on DNA, how the genetic code is biochemically transferred through DNA, how the DNA's structure works, no less than 30 pages." **It read, in all its evil glory.

"E-Eh, Kakashi-sensei, can I please get a new one?" I pleaded, grimacing at the prospect of having to build a scale model of the DNA. Really, how do you even _do _that? "Gomen, Tomomi; you'll just have to deal with it." He said, looking at me apologetically. I scowled at him before going back to my seat. Deidara glared at me. "Well?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I slammed the paper in front of him. "We have to make a scale model of the human DNA. That and a report on it." I said, taking a seat next to him. "You should've let _me _choose, hmm! I'm sure that I'd picked an easier one, yeah!" I sighed, not looking at him. "Whatever," I said, opening my notebook.

"Deidara; Tomomi! Pay attention," Kakashi-sensei said before resuming his lecture on human DNA. "…So basically, human DNA is a, say, a prototype for all humans, or a set of blueprints. The human DNA consists of two long polymers of nucleotides, with backbones made of sugars and phosphate groups joined by ester bonds. These two strands run in the opposite directions to each other and, therefore, anti-parallel. Attached to each sugar is one of the four types of molecules called bases. It's the sequence, or special code, of these bases along the backbone that encodes information. Much like a microchip, ne? This information is read using genetic code, which specifies the sequence of the amino acids within proteins…" from that point onward, I zoned out, still hearing Kakashi-sensei speak, yet not really taking the information in. Although, I really should. I need all the information I can get for this project. I felt someone nudge my shoulder. I turned to Deidara, raising an eyebrow out at him. He didn't look at me, but simply slid a small slip of paper under my forearm. I took it, reading it. **"I'm so f*cking bored. Talk to me, newbie." **He wrote. _His penmanship is nice, _I absentmindedly thought before mentally slapping myself. I mean, this is Deidara we're talking about! I took my pen and wrote back, **"About what?"**

"**I dunno! Anything!"**

"**No."**

"**Meanie. Do you like cheese?"**

"**What kind of question is ****that****?"**

"**Just ****answer ****it****."**

"**No."**

"**I hate you."**

"**I hate you more."**

"**You're annoying."**

"**Hello, pot? This is kettle. You're black."**

Deidara glared at me before stomping on my foot. I glared back, kicking his leg. I turned to face Kakashi-sensei, ignoring the idiot. Out of the corner of my eye, he scowled at me before muttering something under his breath. Propping an elbow on the white table, I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples. A few minutes later, the bell rang. I grabbed my books, my bag and exited the room. A feeling of anxiousness started bubbling in my stomach. I couldn't help but grin. _It's time for the hook-up!_

I walked to Asuma-sensei's classroom as fast as I could. There, I saw Konan sitting at her desk, twirling an origami flower with a bored expression on her face. "Hey, Konan, where's Karin?" I asked, sitting next to her. Her expression lit up. "She's gonna make her grand entrance as soon as Sasuke sits down in his seat," she said, grinning at me. As if on cue, the Ice King himself (as dubbed by Konan) walked in and sat on the desk next to our. "Three… two… one," Konan counted down as Karin appeared by the doorway, looking as stoic as Sasuke. She pursed her lips, giving us a quick glance before sitting next to Sasuke, setting her books on the table. Sasuke ignore her first, but then, his nose twitched— like a rabbit's! He closed his eyes and followed the scent of tomatoes, leaning in closer to Karin. His eyes snapped open as his mouth was slightly agape. "Gomen," he said, before retreating to his usual position. Karin raised a single eyebrow, giving him a small smile. "No, it's okay," she says, shrugging her shoulders. She opens her book and begins reading.

"Do I know you?" Sasuke asked, turning to her. I _swear _I saw him lean in a fraction to take a whiff of the tomato perfume. Konan squeezed my arm, instructing me to not be so obvious when I'm looking at them. I rolled my eyes and pulled my book out, cracking it open and covering my face with it.

"You probably don't." she said, not even looking at him.

"Hn. Well, who are you, anyway?"

"Karin," she replied, turning a page. Sasuke's face had slight surprise, horror and confusion written all over it for a short fraction before his expression returned to its usual stoic one. "The fangirl?" he asked, slight annoyance in his tone.

"That's _ex_-fangirl, to you, Uchiha," she replied, giving Konan and I a pleading glance.

"Aa." He said, turning to the white-board. He tapped his pencil on the desk, practically glaring holes on said whiteboard. "Why?" he asked, turning to her again. People began streaming in the room. Karin held a pencil between both of her index fingers before turning to him. "That's why," she said, giving him a glance before turning to the whiteboard. Sasuke glared at her. At this point, I began to panic. _What if the plan backfires? _I thought, giving Konan a worried glance. She smirked at me and said, "Don't worry, Tomomi. Look!" I looked at Karin and Sasuke. Karin was _actually _glaring back at him! I thought that this was supposed to be the hookup! Now Karin hates Sasuke? Nani? "You're nothing but a cocky bastard, who thinks he's all that," Karin deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "Took me long enough to realize _that_! I want someone who actually _acknowledges _me. Not some emotionless brick wall as yourself,"

"If you're so over me, why _are_ you sitting right next to me?" Konan held my arm tightly. "Oh, Kami… that wasn't in the plan…" she whispered as her eyes widened a fraction. Karin gave us a worried look. "What do I do?" she mouthed to us briefly before turning to Sasuke. "U-uh… I-I just wanted t-to see if I really _am _over you. That's all," she answered quickly, giving him a sheepish smile. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, not really buying her story before quirking the corner of his lip into a smirk.

"You! What are you doing with _my _Sasuke, you wh*re?" someone shrieked. It was Sakura, pointing an accusing finger at Karin. Karin sat straight, narrowing her eyes at the pinkette. Karin stood from her seat, sizing Sakura up. She did it pretty well, I might add! Karin glanced down at Sasuke, who was looking at her, and said, "This just about proves my point." She took her books from the desk and prepared to leave, until…

"Stay." Sasuke said (ordered), practically ignoring Sakura's existence.

"What? Sasuke-kun, you _cannot _be serious. _Her_? She's a _wh*re_, Sasuke-kun, _and_ one of your little pathetic fangirls." Sakura spat, as every word practically dripped with venom. Karin flinched, as her eyes started to water. Konan glared at Sakura. Karin shook her head, sitting between Konan and I. Konan glared at Sakura, as the pinkette smirked victoriously, sitting next to Sasuke. Ino, Ten Ten, and that midnight blue-haired girl sat by the desk behind them. Karin took her glasses out and buried her head into her crossed arms. Her breathing patter was ragged; she was crying. I cast a glare at Sakura before turning to Karin. "It's okay, Karin," Konan coaxed, patting her on the back. "Karin, please don't cry! You and I _both _know that that wasn't true!" I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. After a few minutes of comforting her, her breathing calmed down and she had stopped crying. She glanced up at me, grinning. "That's the spirit!" I said, grinning back at her. "Sakura's such a b*tch," she jokingly said in a slightly raspy voice. "Yeah, I know that too, hon… trust me, we all do," Konan softly said, beaming at us.

_Clack_

Asuma-sensei walked in, smelling of cigarettes with a grin on his face. "Ohayo, kids," he said, taking a seat. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Asuma-sensei," the class said in unison. Karin wiped her eyes on her jacket sleeve as Asuma ordered us all to solve the equation problems from page 26 to 32 and finish by the end of the first period. I sighed, opening my pencil case and taking a pencil out. Honestly, no offence to any advanced calculus fanatics out there, but I just absolutely _hate _the subject. I mean, in _which _part of my life am I _ever _going to use advanced calculus in my everyday life?

Silence engulfed the room, with the exception of the occasional sound of the pencil scratching, the shaking of liquid paper pens and the sound of a page being turned. I glared hard at my paper, a pencil in hand. After a few minutes of hard-core thinking, I got the answer to problem number one, page twenty-six. _Great! _I thought to myself. _Just 6 and a half more pages and then, it's done! _Sense the sarcasm? I sighed, looking at the clock hovering over the whiteboard. _This is going to be a very long period._

_Bring! Bring!_

The bell rang, signaling the end of the second period. I sighed in relief, rubbing my temples. Whenever I think too much, my head starts to heat up (like a car), and I'm starting to think that I'm on the verge of overheating. _Kami, I need some Advil, _I thought, inspecting my answers carefully. Due to my obvious to confusion, Karin explained to me what to do. Now, I'm pretty sure I got more than half of them right.

"Alright, class, hand your work in," Asuma-sensei said, standing up and walking to the whiteboard. We all sent our work in and went back to our seats. Asuma-sensei then began teaching us new techniques on how to find the solution faster. I zoned out, drawing random objects on the back of my notebook. Now that I was finished doing my work, the period seemed to go by faster than usual. I took my notebook, and used it to cover my face as I glanced at the desk beside mine. Sasuke was currently facing the whiteboard, whilst Sakura cozies up to him, saying something to him. _She's probably whispering 'sweet nothings' in his ear, _I thought, raising an eyebrow at my pink-haired cousin. "Pssht!" Karin slid a slip of paper under my arm. It read: **"Yuck! She's practically throwing herself on him!"**

"**I know! That is ****so**** Sakura."**I wrote back, discreetly passing the slip of paper to Karin. Konan glanced at Karin, snatched the paper away from her and wrote something on it. She gave it back to Karin, who read it and began to blush furiously. Obviously, this tickled my curiosity. I took it from her neatly manicured hands and read it. I promptly began to snicker uncontrollably. In Konan's neat cursive handwriting read: **"**_**But then again, Karin, isn't that what **__**you **__**always did? 'Oh, Sasuke-kun, let's make babies!' **__**Oh**__**, **__**yeah**__**, baby!"**_

I grinned like a Cheshire cat and wrote back. **"Oh, Kami. That was ****hilarious****. But how come you never apply this frivolous behavior whenever Pein-san talks to you? Bipolar much?"**

"_**I can never act like this around him. He'd go on and on and on about how childish I am. Kami, I'm just sixteen. And I **__**so**__** act my age. When I want to."**_

Karin took the paper away from her and began writing. **"Correction: When you ****have ****to. No offence, but Pein-san always acts like he has a yardstick up his you-know-what."**

I snickered as Konan wrote back. **"Now, now; are you sure that you're not talking about Itachi-san?"**

Karin snatched the paper away from her. **"Hey! No dissing Itachi-kun. Plus, Pein-san is a ****senior****. He's going to go to college next year, already."**

Konan wrote back. _**"Shoot, it's only a one year difference yet he acts like he's twice his age."**_

I took the slip of paper from her and rolled my eyes. **"Dude, even 40 year-olds have fun. ****Jeez.****"**

Konan and Karin snickered discreetly. Karin wrote on the slip of paper and handed it over to me. **"Ne, I'm sure that he's just busy with student council duties! I mean, he ****is**** the school president, you know."**

I wrote back, sneaking a glance at Asuma-sensei. **"Then where in the world does he find the time to get those piercings?"**

Konan replied, giving me the slip of paper after Karin finished reading it. _**"He just does, I guess! He's had them since he was 14, you know?"**_

Before I got to reply, the bell rang. I folded the slip of paper up and slipped it into my jacket pocket.

_Bring! Bring! _

I grinned, closing my notebook. As we kept our pens and pencils, Sakura bid Sasuke a goodbye, planting a kiss on his cheek. When she and her cronies were out of the room, he scowled, wiping his cheek on his jacket sleeve. He walked over to our desk.

"Karin," he called, placing a hand on the desk. Karin's cheeks reddened. "W-what do you want, Uchiha?" she demanded (asked), raising an eyebrow at him. Sasuke looked around the classroom. There was only us, and Asuma-sensei, who was drinking a cup of coffee. He leaned in closer to her. "Give me your phone." He ordered, looking stoic. "Why should I?"

"Just give it to me," he said, sighing a bit. Karin took her pink Sidekick out of her jacket pocket, giving it to him. He slid it open and took his BlackBerry out, pressing some buttons on it. He closed her Sidekick, put his BlackBerry back into his jacket pocket and gave Karin her phone back. Karin, Konan and I looked at him anxiously. _Kami, I must look ridiculous._ I thought, but not caring if so.

"I'll ring you up tonight," he said, before making his grand exit out of the door. We sat there, a silly grin on each and every one of our faces. _It worked. The plan worked! _I thought, mentally patting myself on the back. And right on cue, we all shrieked like the teenage girls we are.

"Oh, my Kami!" Karin shrieked, covering her mouth with her hands. She wrapped her arms around our necks and pulled us into a hug. "It worked! It actually _worked_!" she said, hugging us tightly. "K-Karin… I need oxygen…" I said, dramatically trying to claw the hold she had around my neck. She let us go, blushing a bit. "Oh, Kami! Sorry, guys," she said, smiling at us sheepishly. She stood up from her seat and clapped her hands. "Let's get lunch!"

Konan stood up, smoothing her skirt. "Totally. They're serving subs today and I _do not _want to get there late. The bacon will run out! That Akimichi Chōji always orders double— no, triple— servings of them." They start heading for the door, but I stop them. "Wait!" I call out, grinning at them. "First things first; three cheers for tomato perfume!" I rush to them and stick my palm out. Karin and Konan put their hands on mine, smiling at me.

"Three cheers for tomato perfume!" we chanted in unison. "Hip hip, hooray!"

Asuma-sensei just chuckled at us. "Teenagers," he mumbled, looking at the packet of cigarettes in his hand.

**There you go! How was it? Did it suck? Please review on my grammar, plot and on my OC, Tomomi! Thank you for all the reviews; I honestly never thought that my story would reach more than 60 reviews. I'm glad that ya'll enjoyed the Deidara moments and Gaara moments in the last chapter.**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Please check out my other stories and see if they 'tickle your curiosity':**

**-Teenagers**

**-The Uchiha Heiress**

**-Three Little Words**


	16. Chapter 16: Sparks? Um, no way, dude

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Sparks? Um, no way, dude.

Karin, Konan and I walked out of the room, practically joined at the hip. We separated to keep our books and decided to meet inside the cafeteria. And so I met them there, and saw them grabbing some trays. They smiled at me as I waved at them.

"Here you go," Konan said, handing me a tray. I grinned at her. "Thanks!" We all got in line and ordered our subs. Karin got a classic BLT with extra cheese; Konan had a turkey breast and ham sub with extra cheese and bacon; I got a roast beef sandwich with extra cheese and lettuce. Karin parted ways with us so she could hang out with Juugo and Suigetsu. Konan took her seat next to Pein, and I took mine next to Sasori.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw _him _making his entrance, two busty girls at his sides. He kissed them both goodbye before getting in line. My left twitched, as I pondered on _what _the _f*ck _those girls see in him. _Looks, definitely… _I thought, before mentally slapping myself. Yeah, yeah, I'll admit it; Iwa no Deidara, in my opinion, _is _attractive. But! _But_, his attitude is such a turnoff. So, if any of you are wondering: '_No, there is _no _freaking way I would date him. Ever. You have been told!_' I concluded this, mentally patting myself on the back. I opened my sub up and bit into it, enjoying the rich flavor.

Deidara walked over, a sub in hand and some busty girl's number in the other. This led me to a hard-core thinking session of pondering on _how _many busty girls there were in school.

More than a thousand, probably.

But that's just my unbiased opinion! Mainly because I've never shared it with anyone, that is.

"Kisame," Pein spoke up.

"Yes, Pein-san?"

"Have you arranged the schedule for those in the diversion group to memorize their dialogues?" he queried, looking at him with those piercing gray eyes.

"Uh-uh… I'll get right to it!" Kisame said, giving a sheepish grin. He glanced down at his phone. "First session's at Hidan's, this evening." He announced, as Hidan scowled at him.

"Why the f*ck does it have to be _my _place, anyway?"

"Because your place has a mini-bar."

"You f*cking bastard! And yours _doesn't_?" Kisame grinned, ignoring Hidan's comment. I couldn't help but grin at the two.

* * *

After lunch, Konan, Karin and I went to the comfort room to do our typical girl stuff.

"What's your next class?" Konan asked, to nobody in particular.

"I've got history with Gai," Karin said, opening a small pot of cherry lip balm. "And I've got this handicrafts class," I replied, washing my hands. "Cool. I've got gym class with Anko-sensei." Karin dabbed the excess lip balm off on a piece of tissue paper. "You gotta go split, then! If you're late for Anko's class, she'll _totally_ make you run laps!"

_Bring! Bring!_

Konan frowned at us. "Aw, man, I gotta go," she said, before bolting out the door. Karin and I looked at each other briefly before walking out, heading to our own classes.

* * *

When I reached the handicrafts room, I heard the faint sound of wood being shaved. I opened the door, walked in and closed it. I awkwardly stood by the door, as I saw Sasori working on something, all alone in the room.

"H-Hey, Sasori-san! What're you making?" I asked, walking over to him.

He cast a glance before continuing doing his thing. After a few seconds, he answered, "I'm making a puppet,"

"Cool," was my reply. I looked at the odd-looking puppet. Sasori's hands moved automatically over and around the worktable, getting this, grabbing that… It's as if he knows it like the back of his hand! I watched him build something that looked like a scorpion's tail. _Wow… _I thought, smiling a bit.

_Clack._

The door opened, yet I wasn't that bothered to look.

"Hey, Sasori-danna, un!" The voice made me shudder. It's _him_. I turned, scowling at him before turning back to watch Sasori. "So, erm, where's the teacher?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the puppet's scarily realistic face. "He usually comes in late. Go ahead," the red-head answered, motioning to the worktable beside his. "What do I do?"

"You make handicrafts! Duh, un! It's basically art class where you actually get to _do _something instead of listening to some dirtbag geezer, hmm!" Deidara cut in, mounds of clay in his hands.

"She didn't ask _you_, brat." Sasori said, making sure that the scorpion tail moved easily.

"Aw, danna, why'd you have to be so mean, yeah?" Deidara whined, molding clay in his hands. I looked at my table, having _no _idea what to make. "What do I make?" I asked, looking at Sasori. He stopped working on his puppet and began teaching me the basics of puppet-making. I sneaked a glance at Deidara, who was scowling at us. He rolled his eyes, turning back to his clay. Sasori then lectured me about how true art was 'eternal'.

"… Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future… eternal beauty—"

"That's where you're _wrong_, danna, hmm! Fine art is the beauty of that single fleeting moment of explosion, yeah!" The two promptly started arguing about art.

"Tomomi, what is _your _opinion on art?" Sasori asked, seeing that I was the only other person here. "E-eh… I have nothing to do with this!" I said in a rush, waving my arms sheepishly.

"Y'know, danna, _I'll _bet that she agrees with me, but she just didn't want to tell you after your rant on 'eternal art', hmm!"

"She probably agrees with _me_; she just didn't want to crush your ego, brat." I rolled my eyes at them. They were _both _wrong. Art… _true _art is music! The feeling that humans cannot comprehend through word, but through song! To me, songs are individual and unique pieces of art written with the soul, human feelings and the very essence of their humanity, which expresses the things that can't be said simply through petty words! …Okay, I'll stop now. If I don't, I think I'll end up ranting like Sasori or Deidara.

_Clack._

The teacher walked in, along with a few students. "Class, don't forget to put on your aprons and work gloves." I saw an orange apron hung over my worktable, wondering where the heck the gloves were. After a few minutes of searching, I had no luck, deeming that I didn't need some stupid gloves. I took a nail out, and positioned it on where the joints would bend, just like how Sasori told me to. Then, I started hammering the nail down into the wood… until I accidentally hit my thumb, that is.

"Holy— Oh, my Kami— fu— damn!" I blurted out, clutching my agonizingly aching thumb with my other hand. It was one of those moments when something downright sh*tty happens and there are too much swear words flooding your mind, you just can't choose which one you want to use.

"Deidara," Sasori said, motioning to me. Deidara scowled, making his way over to me. "Let me see your hand, yeah!" he said, raising an eyebrow at me. "No! I don't want to." He turned to leave. "That's fine, if you don't want me to help you, hmm!" I cast a glance at my probably swollen thumb before calling out, "Deidara! Here," I stuck my hand out, grimacing at the waves of pain that washed over me.

He walked over, gingerly taking my hand in his. "It's swollen, un."

"No sh*t, Sherlock." He glared at me. I couldn't help but smirk at my witty comeback, mentally patting myself on the back. He squeezed my thumb, worsening the pain.

"You son of a b*tch!" I half-shriek, trying to pull my hand away from his grasp. "_What _about my mom, yeah?" he asked, squeezing tighter.

"Deidara, you brat! If you aren't going to help her, I'll do it _myself_." Sasori hissed, taking hold of my other arm. "No, no, no! It's okay, danna. I won't hurt her precious little thumb anymore, un." _He_ 'reassured', prying Sasori's hold on me off. "Teach, I'm just going to treat the newbie's thumb, yeah!" he told the teacher, pulling me to the door. He opened it, pulled me out, and closed it. He grabbed my unhurt hand and we began to walk down the empty halls. After a few minutes, the realization hit me. _His hand is warm… _I thought, looking at our clasped hands. Wait. 'Clasped'? I mentally b*tch-slapped myself.

"Ah! What the hell are you trying to pull?" I blurt out, pulling my hand out his. He looked at me innocently as I began to blush.

"You're actually _blushing_, hmm!" He said, taking a few steps toward me. For every step he took forward, I took one step back, blushing madly. I felt my back hit the metal lockers. "You mean… you'd like it if I did this?" he asked, leaning in closer to me. He placed one hand next to my head, leaning on the lockers. I felt his hot breath on my ear, as I looked to the side, wondering why I couldn't move or find the voice to speak (shriek). "Let's get to the nurses' office, hmm." He whispered– sending chills down my spine— as he pulled away from me, walking down the hall. I snapped out of my— whatever I was in, and walked after him, feeling my legs shake slightly. _I do _not _like him, _I reassured myself, yet it still didn't seem so reassuring.

Deidara walked in the nurses' office, making me sit on one of the lumpy, stiff cots. I didn't say anything, but I just stared at the small clinic's various cupboards and drawers. Deidara opened the mini-refrigerator, pulling a few ice-cubes out. He wrapped it in some thin, white cloth he found in one of the cupboards, sitting next to me. He held my hurt hand and put the ice on it, applying pressure. "Ow!" I exclaim, trying to pull my hand away from him. He rolled his eyes. "One more reason why clay is better than wood, hmm," he muttered, applying more pressure. "That hurts, you know!" I say through gritted teeth. "If you just leave your thumb, it'll swell five times its original size, get gangrene, and, you'll have to get it amputated, yeah!" I hit him upside the head with my free hand. "Ow! What was that for, un?"

"Are you _crazy_? What the f*ck does getting gangrene have _anything _to do with this?" He flicked my nose, smirking. "You bastard! If my precious thumb weren't in your _evil clutches _right now, I'd have kicked you to planet _Mars_, you little—"

"Once again; I'm bigger than you, un." I huff in irritation, turning away from him. Silence engulfs the small room.

"_Finally_, she shuts up, hmm!" Deidara happily exclaims, grinning at the wall. I stomped on his foot, only to end up stomping on the floor. "I don't fall for the same thing twice, yeah," he boasted, pointing to himself. I felt my cheeks redden, as I bit my bottom lip nervously. In my head, I was chanting a mantra consisting of:

"_I am not falling for Iwa no Deidara._

_I am not falling for Iwa no Deidara._

_I am _so _not falling for Iwa no Deidara._

_Am I falling for Iwa no Deidara?_

_No, I am _not _falling for Iwa no Deidara._

_At least…_

_I hope I'm not."_

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review. It's like my fuel drive, my sugar rush. Haha~ Anyways, how were your holidays? Good, I hope. So, do you guys think that my story is living up to its genre? Hopefully, the humor (please give me your opinion on my sense of humor), but, how about the romance? The sparks are setting off, ne? I finally added some Deidara/Tomomi action. And, please don't worry that Deidara is too forward. In both the series and in this story, he's an arrogant, cocky bastard who loves his art. And, since in this story, he's a playa', he's often (if not always) very forward with the opposite-sex… in **_**that **_**way. Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16 ~**

**P.S. Don't forget to review! Thanks to those who favorite/alerted this story! Ja ne!**

**P.P.S. I finally found the button to add horizontal lines in my stories! Yay~**


	17. Chapter 17: Denial, much?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Denial, much?

Deidara and I sat in the room in a completely awkward silence. I thought about what Kisame said during lunch. _Since I have to go to Hidan's place after school, I might as well tell Gaara... _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back as I pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket. I searched for his name through the phonebook and called him. It wasn't very hard. I had, like, only 10 or less names in my phonebook.

'_Teenagers scare the living sh*t outta me! They could care less as long as someone'll bleed! So darken your clo—_'Gaara's waiting tone by My Chemical Romance abruptly stopped.

"_Hello?"_ I smiled upon hearing his voice. "Hey, Gaara," I said, as my smile broke out into a grin. _"Tomomi? Oh, hey, what's up?" _He asked, surprise in his tone. I bit my lip before replying. "Um, are you at school?"

"_No, duh," _He replied. I practically heard the smirk in his tone. _"Ibiki just stepped out to get some test papers." _I nodded, even though he obviously can't see me doing so. "Yeah… After school you don't have to pick me up, alright?" I say, feeling Deidara's eyes on me.

"_Why? Did something Sakura-related come up?" _Gaara said, chuckling a bit. "No, no… I just have this group thingy I have to do after school." I say, casting a brief glance in Deidara's direction. He was still pressing the ice pack on my thumb. The blonde raised an eyebrow at me curiously. _"You sure you don't want us to pick you up?"_

"Yes, I'm sure."

"_Positively sure?"_

"Yes, Gaara."

"_One hundred percent sure?"_

"Hai."

"… _Are you positive—"_

"My Kami, Gaara!" I say, laughing a bit.

"_U-um… yeah, o-okay, I'll tell Temari and Kankuro that after school, demo…"_

"What?" I asked, grinning a bit.

"_Tonight, I'll hit you up on MSN? Just like old times, when Chizu never let you go anywhere after school." _I recalled the memory. During my elementary years, as _soon _as school finished, the limo would always pick us up. Sakura used this opportunity to brag, brag, brag about her being popular to me.

"Sure thing. Seven-ish?" I asked, not really wanting to wait until Gaara's online.

"_Yeah. Damn, Ibiki's back. I'll talk to you tonight."_ And with that, he hung up. I closed my phone, sliding it back into my pocket.

"Who's _Gaara_, un?" Deidara asked (demanded), a slight edge to his tone. _What the hell? _I thought, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You were _eavesdropping_?" I asked in an accusing tone. Deidara rolled his eyes. "Well, what do you _expect_, hmm? Seeing that I had nothing better to _do_, yeah! Plus, we're the only ones in this damn room! Kami, you really _are _an idiot, un." I narrowed my eyes, hitting him upside the head, although I honestly felt stupid.

"Ow! Why do you like killing off my brain cells so much, hmm?" he demanded, glaring daggers at me. I gasped in mock shock.

"Deidara… _you _have a _brain_?" I said awe before bursting out, laughing. He looked at me like I was some retard. The blonde clutched my hurt hand threateningly. I promptly stopped laughing as my body stiffened, fearing that Deidara would squeeze my thumb again. A vicious smirk grew on his face as he held my thumb between his fingers. "Payback," he smugly says, about to squeeze my poor little thumb. I grimaced at the pain I was about to experience.

_Clack._

My ears perked up at the sound of the door being opened. A brunette, Shizune-san, walked in, and stopped dead in her tracks once she saw us. On the bed. Together. _Kami, that sounded so wrong… _I thought, mentally slapping myself for my perverseness. Trust me, my mind been this perverse ever since I read that Icha-Icha Paradise book! _Hey_, that Kenji-san _really _should have known to keep his porn collection whenever curious 12 year-olds are around. And who is this 'Kenji' that I'm speaking of now? A friend of Aunt Chizu's. One of her lingerie models married the pervert a few years ago. I inwardly shuddered, mentally shaking my head because of my perverse mind. (Why am I such a pervert at sixteen?)

"What is the _meaning _of this?" Shizune asked, raising an eyebrow at us. I raised my hand. "I hit my thumb with a hammer." She gave me a look that said, 'WTF'. "It wasn't on purpose!" I said, standing up. I showed my hand to her and she slowly nodded, inspecting it. "The swelling will go down by tomorrow; but for the meanwhile, I suggest you avoid using this hand with handling heavy objects." _No sh*t, I won't._ Deidara stood up, smoothing his shirt. "Well, we better get to class, hmm!" Deidara said, stepping out of the room. Shizune leaned in, and whispered in my ear, "You should avoid him. He's not exactly what you'd call decent boyfriend material." _Damn, you got _that _right, sister. _I gave her a curt nod before walking out of the door. Deidara and I walked down the hall in silence.

"…Who's Gaara, un?"

"What is it to you?"

"Is he your boyfriend, yeah?" I blushed slightly.

"N-No, of c-course not, baka!" I answered, shaking my head. "He's my best friend." Deidara nodded, licking his lips and stuffing his hands into his pockets. He glared holes at the floor, seemingly deep in thought.

"Then… do you like _me_, then?" He asked, stepping in front of me. I shook my head. "Hell no." I say, walking past him. Deidara jogged up to keep up with me. "Denial…" he said in a sing-song voice. I felt my cheeks slightly redden at the _possibility_ that it _might _be true. I turned away, obscuring my face (hopefully). I inwardly sighed with relief once we reached the handicrafts room. I opened the door and got back to my worktable. "Are you feeling better?" Sasori asked, looking at me. I nodded, smiling at him. I reached out to get the cursed hammer, only to have Sasori snatch it away. "No hammers for now. Deidara, give her some f your clay," Sasori said to both of us, placing the hammer on his worktable. Deidara walked over and practically _threw _the clay on my worktable. "There you go, un!" he says, looking at me expectantly. I looked back, expecting him to leave.

"What do you want?" I asked, looking at the lump of clay.

"Oh, nothin', nothin', un. I just wanna see how you're gonna use the clay, yeah!" he said, glancing over at the clay. I furrowed my eyebrows before rolling my sleeves up and kneading the clay.

"What the _hell_ are you doing, hmm? Making bread?" he sarcastically asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Baka," I muttered under my breath, ignoring that little comment of his.

"Leave her alone, brat." Sasori said, not bothering to look at us. Deidara smirked. "I'm just showing her how to make _true_, _fine art_, un!" Sasori stopped working on his puppet and gave Deidara an irritated look. They promptly started arguing on art again. I chuckled at them before looking at the clay.

* * *

Once class was over, I was half-finished with my clay sculpture.

"That looks like sh*t, hmm," Deidara bluntly said, working on a realistic clay bird. I scowled at him before turning to scowl at my sculpture. _Well, it's not like it's downright _terrible_, right? _I tried to convince myself. _Not that I would blame him… _I concluded in defeat, inwardly heaving a sigh of disappointment. It was a clay mug. Fingerprints were all over the mug; the handle was lumpy and the cup itself was slightly uneven. _Fine_, it was _completely _out of asymmetrical balance. Bottomline was; it looked like crap made by some kindergartener.

_What a failure. _I thought, rubbing my temples. I took my apron off and walked out of the room.

**There you go! How was it? Did it suck? Please, **_**please **_**review on my story, grammar usage and on my OC, Tomomi! So this chapter was basically a filler, meant to connect to another main plot point, A.K.A., the next chapter. Anyways, do you think any of the canon characters are OOC? If you do, don't hesitate to tell me. Thank you to all of those who reviewed and favorited this story! And to the ones who favorited: **_**don't **_**hesitate to review! Seriously. Don't. Haha~!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Just a tip: Reviews = Motivation; Motivation = Inspiration; Inspiration = Longer and better chapters with more of a plot! So therefore: Reviews = ****MORE ACTION****. Hah.**


	18. Chapter 18: The Seven Year Old Brat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The seven year-old brat

_Bring! Bring!_

I heaved a sigh of relief. I was _bound _to get an internal combustion if history continued any longer, but thankfully, school is finally over. I stood up and grabbed my books, walking out the door, into the hall where numerous students were streaming out of their respective classes. Someone tapped on my shoulder.

"Hey, Tomomi!" Konan said, beaming at me. "Hi, Konan," I say, grinning at her. "You going to Hidan's after school?" she asked, as I opened my locker. "Aa… I wonder what Hidan's place is like! I want to check out the mini-bar." I exclaim, as I put my books back in and close the locker shut. We walked out of the school and went towards the parking lot. "You're gonna drink?" Konan asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "What? No, of course not. I just enjoy looking at the different bottles."

"The _bottles_?"

"Yeah, the bottles! I once played this game online where you make your own drinks. There were so many different shaped bottles in all kinds of colors."

"…Weird kid. So, who's going to drive you there?"

"Wait, I thought _you _were driving me there!"

"I have my own group meeting to go to, you know…"

"So… who'll drive me, then?"

"Isn't Kankuro going to pick you up?"

"No… I told Gaara to tell Kankuro not to."

"Oh… Well, that sucks."

"Tell me about it. Argh… What do I _do_?"

"Nani? And _I'm _supposed to know?"

"Yes, you are. Um… How about if I ask Hidan to drive me there?"

"That wouldn't be a very good choice. I mean, Hidan drives at an estimated speed of 120 or more kilometers per hour."

"You're kidding me."

"No, I kid you _not_." I sighed in defeat, as we sat on a bench across the parking area. "…You could ask _Deidara_ to drive you there…" Konan drawled, smirking at me. "Hell no. I'd rather sit with Hidan, thanks." I say, giving her a sheepish look. "Fine by me," She said, shrugging her shoulders. I stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "See you later," I say, smiling at her. She smiles and waves back. I turn and make my way to Hidan. He was arguing with Kakuzu.

"F*ck no! I am _not _taking that f*cking retard with me in my car, damn it!"

"He's in the same group as yours. _Deal with it._ Kami, you really are a pain in the ass."

"That's Jashin to you, you money loving bastard! And _no_, I'm not taking the f*cking kid with me! Why the f*ck did Pein even assign him to _my _f*cking group?"

"Leave him with _Kisame_, then." Kakuzu said through gritted teeth, a wad of money in his hands. His solid green eyes suddenly snapped towards my direction. He gruffly nodded before walking to this brand-spanking-new black Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren. He took some keys out and with an audible '_beep beep_', the doors automatically opened, showing its black leather interior. _Wow! How cool! _I thought, getting slightly starry-eyed. I promptly mentally slapped myself out of my trance and turned to Hidan. He was leaning on his car, looking at me with a look that oh-so clearly read; 'WTF'. I bet he saw me getting starry-eyed, no doubt about it.

"Hey, Hidan," I spoke up, making him raise an eyebrow at me. "Can you drive me to your place?" He threw his hands up. "Sure; get in the car," he said, motioning to the red Ferrari. I grinned, opening the door and sitting in the passenger seat. I just sat there, admiring the nude leather seats, the stereo system and, to sum it all up, the car. Hidan got in the car; put the key in the ignition and the Ferrari started with a loud roar before it purred evenly. _Nice! _Without any further warning, Hidan speeds out the school. I hurry and put my seatbelt on; better safe than sorry. Hidan turned the stereo on, with obnoxiously loud scream music blasting out of it.

"Put your seatbelt on," I say to Hidan when we came to a stoplight. He gave me a look before laughing like that was the best joke he heard in _years_. And, _no_, I'm not exaggerating. "What?" I spat out. "Why are you laughing at— holy sh*t!" As soon as the light went green (yellow), Hidan sped down the street, not minding the cars. "I do _not _do seatbelts!" he shouted, laughing maniacally. I clutched on the leather seat for dear life as he nearly missed a four-by-four by a few inches. "Slow down! You're going to get us _killed_, you baka!" I shriek over the blasting music. He smirked at me before turning his eyes to the road, speeding up. _Well, that is just _rude_!_ I thought, glaring at him. "I said, 'slow down'! Not 'speed up'!" His smirk widened. "And, _why _aren't the cops chasing us?" "They can't do anything about it," The Ferrari roared, as Hidan reached 120 kilometers-per-hour. I silently prayed to Kami, tightening my seatbelt.

* * *

"Hidan!" the 8 year-old brat yelled, clutching a lock of Deidara's hair. And _who _is this brat, you wonder? Oh, why, it's Hidan's sister! Sense my sarcasm? Good. _This sucks… _I thought, sitting on the leather couch. I looked at the silver-haired, pink-eyed seven year-old girl, currently combing Deidara's hair. It was apparent that she had a crush on him. I smirked, watching him fidget as Hidan's sister roughly tugged on his hair with a pink _Barbie _brush. Kisame sat across me, sipping on a beer.

"_Yes?_" Hidan spoke out loud in a strained voice, with an equally strained smile (grimace) on his face.

"Is Tobi-chan done with making the tea yet?" she demanded, squeezing a lock of Deidara's hair, making the said blonde wince in discomfort. As if on cue, Tobi rushed in, with a floral teapot and a few teacups on a tray in his hands. He set it on the small _Hello Kitty _table. "Good boy! Now, serve tea to all our guests!" she barked, motioning to all the 'guests' (which weren't _us_) A.K.A., Mr. Teddy, Hello Kitty, Raggedy Ann and Minnie Mouse. Tobi saluted in acknowledgement before serving _actual tea _to all the stuffed toys— erm, 'guests'. "Hidan, bake me some cookies!" she demanded, pointing to the door leading to the hallway.

"Bake them yourself!" he growled out, pouring some vodka into a shot glass. Hidan's sister gasped out in shock, melodramatically covering her mouth with her hand. Tears began to well up, "B-but, if you don't… I'll tell mom!" she said innocently, growling out that last part as she glared at Hidan. Hidan's face paled, as a drop of sweat rolled down his cheek. "No! No, you don't _have _to tell her! In fact, I'll get right to it! Right now! Jashin-sama, please save me," he said, muttering the last part before downing his drink in one gulp and storming out of the room. Kisame and I laughed. Deidara probably would have too, if only Hidan's sister wasn't braiding his hair so tightly. I kind of felt pity for him… not. Just kidding! I _actually_ feel sorry for the poor guy. What a direct attack to his male ego. _Iwa no Deidara, being currently harassed by a seven year-old! _I exclaimed in my mind, as I looked at my file.

"Say, newbie, let's run lines. That way, I'll have actually done something productive." Kisame said, placing his obnoxiously large feet on the coffee table. "Aa," I say in agreement, opening my 'mission file'. "You go first," I said, briefly looking at Deidara before turning to look at my dialogue. Kisame frowned. "I have to run lines with Hidan," he said, before taking my file out of my hands. "You have to run yours with Deidara," he said, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "Can't I run them with you?"

"Well, orders _are _orders…" _Screw orders! _I mentally fumed, furrowing my brows.

"Can't you just run lines with me for the _meanwhile_? I mean, Hidan's baking… cookies… yeah, whatever; and Deidara's currently being harassed by some kid." I say, using my hands to gesture things out. Kisame chuckled. "Okay, newbie." He says, taking Deidara's file out of the blonde's backpack. "Hoo, boy!" Kisame whistles as he pulls a lacy bra out of said bag. I scrunched my nose up in disgust, yet I couldn't help but feel something tugging at my heart. _What the hell? _I thought, brushing the thoughts off as teenage hormones making me a little off today.

"Um…" Kisame scanned the script. "'You know, this is all _your _fault, you know!'" he said, pointing an accusing finger at me. I fake a gasp, "'Oh, do _not _pinpoint the blame on _me_, you dolt! You had the information! But what? You _so _did not get there in time. _Why? _You were too busy making out with your girlfriend!'," I stopped right there, raising an eyebrow at the dialogue. "Wh-what 'information'?" I sputtered out, shaking the file vigorously. Kisame shrugged his shoulders. "Ngh, beats me. Apparently, we're supposed to know what we're talking about," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So weird," I say, throwing the file on the coffee table before crossing my arms. "Tell me about it," Kisame agreed, taking another sip of his beer.

_Clack._

Hidan walked in with a plate of cookies in hand. _Oh, my Kami! _I thought, as my eyes widened. _He actually _baked _them! And it actually looks _edible_? _He slammed the cookies on the _Hello Kitty _table, muttering a colorful string of words under his breath. He sat beside Kisame, sneering at his sister. "You bake?" I ask, looking at him with widened eyes. "F*ck no! I got them from the pantry," he harshly whispered, leaning in closer to me. I leaned in towards him. "Why are you whispering?" I whispered, raising an eyebrow at him. His eyes narrowed at his sister. "Because of that little brat from hell _I'm _supposed to call my _f*cking sister_," he whispers, before standing up and going to the mini-bar.

"You look _so _handsome, Deidara-kun!" Hidan's sister exclaims, hugging Deidara-_kun _from behind. I grin at them. Deidara catches my eye and sends me a pleading look, so I decide to help him.

I walk over, kneeling beside the silver-haired brat. "Hey, sweetie," I say in a fake sweet tone, smiling at her. She snaps her head towards me, sending me an 'elegantly stoic' look. "What?" she barks, as her hold on Deidara's neck tightened. I motion to Tobi and all of her 'guests', all seating by the _Hello Kitty _table. "What kind of host leaves her guests? Look! The tea has already gone cold!" I exclaim, putting a hand on my chest for effect. Almost immediately, her eyes widen, as she rushes off, apologizing to her stuffed toys. Deidara sighed in relief. "That brat is finally gone, un!" he says, grinning at me. Both of his eyes are visible because his fringe has been braided along with the rest of his hair into two plaits. I cover my face, laughing. "What're you laughing at, hmm?" he demanded. I force myself to stop laughing, as I pulled my hands away from my face. "You look gay in braids," I deadpan, pulling the most serious face I could muster at the moment. His face faltered before he started to undo the braids. "No, no! Not when Hidan's, erm, sister is here." He pouted his lips, before standing up and going to the mini-bar. I walked after him, remembering why I originally wanted to be here in the first place: the bottles.

I looked at the various bottles Hidan was grabbing as he made himself a colorful drink. Deidara leaned over the black marble counter. "The kid's such a pain in the ass, hmm!" Hidan snickered at Deidara. "You look so f*cking gay in those sissy pigtails! You got whipped— hard! By a _seven year-old_,at that!" Hidan placed a shot glass in front of the blonde. "Pour your own shot, you p*ssy," he said, before walking to the couch, sitting across Kisame. I sat on one of the red leather barstools beside Deidara. He went to the opposite side of the bar and made himself a vodka on the rocks. "So," I start, looking at all of the fancy-schmancy bottles. "Are we going to run lines or what?" Deidara waved his hand at me. "Yeah, yeah, hmm!" he said, standing up and getting his file. He sat on the barstool beside me and we finally started running our dialogues together. I won't even ask why he's drinking alcohol. I'm too eager to not waste any time stalling and high-tail it outta here, as soon as possible.

* * *

I looked out of the window; it was about five-fifty or so, and Aunt Chizu was bound to get home soon. I memorized most of my lines (well, _some _of my lines) and now, I just wanted to get home before I was scolded like there was no tomorrow by Aunt Chizu. I stood up, rubbing my lower back. "Hey, guys, I'm going home…" I said as I grabbed my backpack. "See you tomorrow, Tomomi-chan!" Tobi exclaimed, tackling me into a hug. Deidara glared at us as I pat his back. "I'll take you, yeah!" Deidara said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Hidan's sister's ears perked up at this; she promptly clung to his leg— like a monkey! "Ah! What the hell? Get the hell of me, un!" He hopped on one leg— the one not occupied by a clingy seven year-old— and actually _tried _to _shake _her _off_! Hah, good luck with _that_, you idiot. I rolled my eyes, bidding Hidan and Kisame goodbye and walking outside Hidan's obnoxiously large mansion. I ran down the sloping road and nearly tripped on my feet. All of a sudden, Deidara appears right in front of me on his Harley Davidson.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed, jumping back a foot or so. He smirked at me. "I'm taking you home, yeah!" he said, patting on the leather seat behind him. "Hop on, hmm!" I only stare at him.

"…Hell no." I say, walking past him. Deidara slowly rode next to me as I hurriedly walked out of the gates. "C'mon!" he says, grabbing my arm. I try to pull it back, but Deidara gave me an urging look.

"No, Deidara! I don't- I don't want to die young!" I say (whine), scowling at him. "You know, your face will get all saggy if you keep on scowling like that, yeah. Smile; it's like nature's Botox, hmm!" he says, tracing a finger under my lip into an upwards motion. I couldn't help but smile at his comment. "Have you noticed I'm wearing a skirt?" I said, looking at my plaid skirt. He smirked. "Why, yes, I have, un!" he said, looking up and down at me. I hit him upside the head. "Baka!" I barked, looking at his Harley Davidson. "Don't be such a freaking buzzkill, hmm!" he said, raising an eyebrow at me. I was still hesitant. "Just sit on it like you would on a chair, yeah." He said through gritted teeth. I did so, placing my hand on my skirt lest it flies up and shows everyone my undies. He placed a burgundy helmet on my lap. "Put it on," he said. _No, duh, Captain Obvious. _I rolled my eyes and put it on, yet it was so big, I couldn't even get it to fit right, even after I tightened the straps!

Comes to show you how big-headed he is, ne?

The engine roared, and I grabbed onto his waist for dear life. "Don't get us killed!" I say, half-joking, half not. "_Jeez_, I _won't_, un! Don't get your panties in a twist, hmm." I promptly hit him upside the head. "Just go…" I said, taking one last glance at Hidan's home before we sped away.

* * *

Deidara zoomed through the city streets, as his blonde braids slapped me in the face repetitiously._ Kami, even his _hair _is evil! _I swatted them away, holding my poor face with one hand and clutching Deidara's school jacket with the other. "How do you even know where I live?" I yelled out, as we raced past a sushi bar, which led me to thinking about Kisame. Have you ever noticed that, if looked at for a prolonged time, Kisame looks like a shark?

Uh… Okay.

Moving on!

I snapped out of my thoughts, and saw Deidara's lips moving, yet I couldn't really hear what he was saying quite clearly. "What?" I yelled. His lips began moving, yet I only heard a few undertones of his voice. "_What?_" I yelled out, shaking him slightly. "I said, 'I don't know', hmm! You're gonna have to show me the way, un!" He yelled back, speeding up a tad bit. "Okay!" I replied, rubbing my cheek. He took a sharp left turn, nearly hitting a fruit vendor. I screamed, squeezing Deidara even tighter. _Are all of the Akatsuki horrible drivers? _I pondered, counting Konan out. She's a good driver, but she could kind of take it easy whenever approaching bumps and humps of the sort. I nearly fell out of the car when she just rode over one of the humps, as she wasn't really slowing down. Jeez.

I told Deidara the directions to my house, and within a few more minutes, we soon approached the Haruno Manor. I got out of the seat, taking the helmet off. My legs were still shaking from the unimaginable speed, but, hey! I'm alive, aren't I?

Okay, so maybe it wasn't that funny.

Deidara looked at me as he warily took the helmet out of my hands. _Kami, I must look like I got electrocuted, or something. _I thought, shaking my head slightly. "I'm not _that _much of a bad driver, am I?" he asked, pouting a bit.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"On second thought… No."

"Good." I waved him goodbye. "Good night,"

"Sweet dreams, Tomomi," Deidara said, smiling at me before driving off. I took my phone out, glancing at the time. It read: _6:37_. I frowned before running up the driveway.

_I'm late for dinner! _I frantically thought, almost tripping on my own feet (again).

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review on my grammar, the plot and on my OC, Tomomi. Anyways, I'm so happy y'all reviewed! But, in this chapter, did Hidan, Kisame and Deidara seem OOC? I wasn't exactly thinking straight, as a normal person would. Who would if you're listening to 'I just had sex' by the Lonely Island on replay? Plus, I was craving McFries. Haha~ Everyone please review! Remember the equation: Reviews=More action! So click on the button that says '****Review This Chapter****' and do as it says!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I'm so hungry~! But, I changed the summary now! Yay~!**

**P.P.S. Poor Tomomi. She's mentally slapped herself so many times, that if she actually slapped herself on the face, her face would be swollen by now.**


	19. Chapter 19: The All Nighter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The All-Nighter

As soon as I got in the house, I was greeted by one of the maids. "Miss Hayashi, Chizu-sama wishes to you," she says, pointing in the direction of the dining room. I nodded to her, beginning to regret my decision of going to Hidan's house. I nervously made my way down the dimly lit hall. Stalling, I looked at the numerous pictures of— surprise, surprise— Aunt Chizu and Sakura, which were displayed in intricately designed picture frames that were hanged on the surrounding walls.

Ne, ever wondered why Sakura has pink hair? Well, it's a funny story, really. Aunt Chizu and my mom were sisters— with Aunt Chizu as the older of the two— who had really gorgeous platinum blonde hair. It was a blonde so light, it was almost conceived as white hair under bright light. They _both _wound up marrying red-heads; the only difference was, my dad had vibrant scarlet hair whilst Sakura's father had dark red hair. Eh… I never really caught Sakura's father's name, so he shall remain 'Sakura's dad'. Anyways, by some freak of nature accident, both of Sakura's parents' genes combined, making Sakura's Pink Hair™.

'What happened to Sakura's dad?' you ask? Well, Aunt Chizu divorced him after she caught him having an affair with a Vegas showgirl. Aunt Chizu knew a _really _good attorney, A.K.A., my dad, and so, she got most of the money, the house, two of the limos and full custody over a two year-old Sakura. Every summer, Sakura goes to the Alps to visit him and his wife in their winter home for a week or so.

I snapped out of my thoughts and stopped stalling. I peered into the lounge and saw Aunt Chizu sipping on a cup of tea, with a black leather planner in her neatly manicured hands. Sakura sat at her right-hand side, munching on ciabatta bread. "Sit," Aunt Chizu ordered, not bothering to look up at me. I took the seat farthest from her. Eh, it's become a natural habit.

"Why were you late for dinner?" she calmly asked, with a few slight undertones of irritation. I licked my lips and replied, "I was at a group meeting,"

"_What _group?" she asked, scribbling something on the planner. My palms soon started sweating and even _worse_; my _armpits _were beginning to itch because of my sweating.

"U-uh," I start, inconspicuously scratching my armpits. "_Answer _me, Tomomi!"

"I-I was with the A-Akatsuki, a group in school," I say in a rush, wiping my sweaty palms on my blue plaid skirt. One of the maids set a plate of baked spinach in front of me. Sakura pulled her phone out, pressing rapidly on the sleek screen. She then passed it to Aunt Chizu. They both smirked, giving each other knowing looks. _Gomen, I don't understand telepathy. _I thought to myself, mentally snickering slightly. I fidgeted in my seat, discreetly scratching my pits. My efforts in being inconspicuous about it were proved futile when Sakura shot a look in my direction, and began to snicker, just like I had a few seconds ago. Aunt Chizu raised an eyebrow at the pinkette before turning to me, narrowing her eyes slightly. "What are you waiting for? Eat!" she said, standing up from her seat. I promptly began shoving the baked spinach in my mouth, nearly scalding my tongue. "Who took you home?" she asked, taking a few steps towards me. I chewed as fast as I could, swallowing the baked spinach. There was this odd look in her eyes that read: **"Money, money, money!"**

"Deidara…?" I answer, slightly unsure if I made the right decision by telling her that. She nodded, closing her eyes. "You are over half an hour late, Tomomi. You will be grounded for the duration of the week. As soon as school is finished, the limo will pick you up, do you understand?" I nodded. Aunt Chizu then proceeded to sashay towards the door. Just as she was about to go out, she stopped. "Tell Deidara to tell Yosuke-san I said 'Hello'," she said, walking out of the room. The echoing of her black Louboutin heels slowly faded as she went up the stairs. Sakura stood up soon after, giving me a look as she began to snicker. She walked out of the room, following Aunt Chizu up the stairs.

Once I was _sure _that I was the only one in the room, I heaved a heavy sigh and shook my head. _Dinner isn't even supposed to _be _this early! _I thought, scraping the baked mozzarella with my fork. _Yes_, whenever we have dinner at the manor, it's always at six in the evening. I think it has something to do with metabolism and digestion. I reached over and took a slice of ciabatta bread out of one of the wicker bread baskets and poured some balsamic vinegar over it, taking a bite out of it. One of the maids, Airi, came over and began to stack Aunt Chizu and Sakura's plates. I used my foot to push a chair out, making a slight creaking noise. Airi's ears perked up, and she looked at me questioningly. "Did you eat yet?" I ask, swinging my legs under the table. She gave me a small smile and shook her head. "You _know _that the servants always eat last," she said, shrugging her shoulders a bit. I motioned to the chair I pushed out. "Eat with me, then!" I say, grinning at her. She apologetically smiles at me, tucking a lock of brown hair over her ear. "No, it's okay, Miss Hayashi. I've better wait for the others first."

"Oh, come on. I know you want to! The baked spinach is pretty good! And there's lots of it on the table!" I motion to all of the food. Airi bites her lip, contemplating on whether to eat or not to eat. Airi is a year older than me, and works early morning and late night shifts. Her mother also works here as one of the gardeners. As soon as Aunt Chizu is out of the house, she goes to one of the public schools on her bicycle. "N-No, it's okay, Miss Hayashi," she says, shaking her head. "I might get in trouble, you know?" I smile at her reassuringly. "No, you won't! I'll cover for ya. I haven't eaten anything since lunchtime, and _I'm _sure you haven't either." Airi sits down next to me, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I _am _a little hungry…" I take one of the unused plates on the table and scoop some baked spinach for her. "Yay!" I say, digging into my own baked spinach. We both eat and talk a bit. It was nice to have some company at dinner that didn't kick your shin or give you glares.

* * *

I went upstairs to my room, took a brief shower and changed into a loose _Superman _shirt and plaid shorts. I turned my Apple MacBook on and logged int MSN. Gaara was already online.

**TomomiDaAwesome_: Hey! **

…Don't laugh at my username. I was a 6th grader back then!

**SandmanSabaku: Hi ****How did the group thingy go?**

A notice popped up on my screen. It read, **"**_**SandmanSabaku **_**has invited you to a video chat" **with a given decision to accept or decline. I clicked on 'Accept', plugging my headset in lest Aunt Chizu overhears. I slid my headset on, carrying my white MacBook and carefully set it on my equally white desk. Within a few seconds, I saw Gaara looking at his monitor with a slightly stoic expression, shirtless. Yes, shirtless, with only a pair of loose black sweatpants hugging his hips. I began to _blush_. And his _abs_, oh Kami, his abs— "Tomomi?"— my Kami, I never knew he was _this _ripped— "Hey!"– I mean, _how long _has he been working out? How often— "Tomomi! Earth to Tomomi!" _Erm… okay, I think I'll stop now. _I closed my mouth, which I found out was agape after all this time and mentally slapped myself.

"Y-Yeah?" I replied, grinning at him sheepishly. A smirk played on his pale lips, licking them slightly. _Stop it, Tomomi! _I mentally scold myself, shaking the somewhat perverse thoughts out of my head and focused on his face.

"How did the group thing go?" he casually asked, spinning to and fro on his office chair. The dim lighting did little to help the awkward situation as the light that came from Gaara's computer screen illuminated his already pale skin, giving him a faint glow. I shrugged my shoulders nonchalant manner, trying to keep my 'cool', or what I have left of it, rather. "It was okay," I say, sitting cross-legged on my chair. "I got home late, though…"

"How long are you grounded?"

"Just until the end of the week. It isn't _that _bad, seeing that it's already Wednesday." He nodded, taking the information in. "Temari's been talking about the music deal. You know; Konoha Jam."

"Yeah, I know. Are you all in?" I ask, opening a Safari browser. "Yeah, of course! But are _you_?" I raise an eyebrow as I entered YouTube on my laptop. "Duh! But, what can we do for our demo?" "We could do song covers. Plus, Temari's already working on a bunch of songs. Kankuro's helping find the beat and the chords."

"Cool. How was your day?"

"Ngh, annoying fangirls…"

"What did they do?"

"They tried to peek on me while I was in the locker room."

"Aww, poor you," I half-jokingly say.

"It's not funny! They are _really _starting to get on my nerves."

"Tell me about it. Fangirls are so annoying."

"So, how did _your _day go?"

"I hit my thumb with hammer…" I mutter under my breath, looking away from the screen.

"You _what_?" I grinned at him sheepishly. "Eh… You know how I am," I say, stifling a brief chuckle. "Yeah, well, that's true. Does it still hurt?" He asked, leaning in closer to look at my thumb. I give my thumb an experimental squeeze. I shake my head. "No, it actually feels fine," I said, smiling at him. He smiled back.

* * *

We talked about the band, what we were going to do and what songs we were going to play. We've also compiled a list of songs for our demo, along with Temari's songs. My smile widened into a grin at the screen before I stifle a yawn. _I need a nap_I thought, mentally slapping myself to keep me from dozing off, then and there. Gaara smirked. "It's one in the morning. It's about time you go to sleep, ne?"

"Hai. I wish I weren't grounded, though… I really want to rock with you guys."

"It's only for two days, though,"

"Aa, I know,"

"Good night, Tomomi."

"Nighty-night, Gaara," I take my headset off, barely in time to catch his lips silently moving. From how I read his lips, it sounded like… _"I love you,"_.

As soon as I saw his lips move, I slid my headset back on. "Come again?" I say, itching to know what he said. Not literally itching, of course. But it was too late. Gaara closed the window, making a big _X _on where his camera was supposed to be.`I rubbed my eyes, thinking that my mind was just simply playing tricks on me. I licked my lips, turning the computer off. _I'll deal with this in the morning, _I thought to myself, closing the lights and letting myself fall asleep.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

_"Deidara-kun...? Where are you going?"_

_"I'm going to hang out with the guys, un."_

_"Deidara-kun, _please _don't go..."_

_"I _have_ to go, hmm!"_

_"Deidara-kun..."_

_"Let me go, hmm!"_

_"But, Deidara-kun, I don't want to!"_

_"No, I have to have my own time, too, yeah!"_

_"But what about me? Aren't I important?"_

_"...Let go of my arm!"_

_"No, Deidara-kun, I won't!"_

_"That's it, hmm! I'm breaking up with you!"_

_"No, you're _not_, silly Deidara-kun. We're already engaged? Would you _really _turn your back on your beau to go to some bar and drink beer? Come, come; I'll get us a champagne!"_

_"What the hell, un? We're not engaged! I'm getting outta here, un!" **Deidara furiously tried to pull away from her grasp, yet she wouldn't let go... **_**Red hair... green eyes... No, it _can't _be, un! _He pulled once more, yet she wouldn't let go. A silver engagement ring was on her left ring finger. He also found himself wearing one. It gleamed in the moonlight, as he tried to pull away from her. From the window, Deidara saw Hidan waiting outside with Kakuzu. _Why is she so strong? _Deidara pondered, as the redhead's grip on him tightened. She hugged his torso._**

_"I'll never let you go, Deidara kun..."_

**_Deidara tried in vain to push her away. He yelled out Hidan and Kakuzu's name, yet they couldn't hear him. They got back in Hidan's Ferrari, driving off into the distance._**

Deidara jerked up, entangled in amess of white linen sheets. His body was covered in a thin layer of cold sweat. He frantically took the covers off, looking at his left hand. No ring was present. It was only a dream. A very, very horrible dream.

_I am _not _going to risk my freedom, yeah! _He thought to himself, walking to his bathroom. His hands flew around the counter, eventually finding their way to a small white drawer. He pulled on the gold know, pulling a bottle of aspirin out. He took two pills out and popped them in his mouth, grimacing at the bitter taste. The Iwagakure native took a glass from the black marble counter and filed it with tap water, and downed it all in one gulp, washing away the bitter taste with it. He washed his face, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He was determined to _not _fall in love with her, especially there was nothing such as love.

That was just the way he saw it.

**There you go! How was it? Did it suck? Please review on my story, the plot and on my OC, Tomomi. So, did Gaara act slightly OOC? I felt like I **_**had **_**to, because he has feelings for Tomomi. Therefore, he's more open to her and less inaccessible. Anyways, thank you **_**so **_**much for all of your reviews! They're what keep me going. I hope you all review. I'd really appreciate it if the silent readers voiced their opinions! But, this is only a filler. It's still important, though. It has one of the main plots!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I'm addicted to Kuroshitsuji. Are **_**you**_**? There may be a Black Butler one-shot in the future.**

**P.P.S. I aim to reach 100+ reviews by chapter twenty! Will you help me? Haha~**

**P.P.P.S. From this point onward, I'll be adding a dash of 100% unconcentrated AU highschool fic drama! Hang on, folks...**


	20. Chapter 20: The Girls' Interrogation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The Girls' Interrogation

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

I woke up, tired and feeling like I needed more sleep. I groggily stretched my arm out, giving my alarm clock a good 'old whack. It promptly shut up, much to my delight. I buried my face in my pillow, heaving a heavy sigh. Sleep. I wanted sleep; delicious sleep. But to my discomfort, I had to get up. Rolling off the bed and onto the freezing floor, I crawled over to the direction of my desk, half-asleep.

_Thunk._

Ouch! That was my head! I rubbed my head in the area where I ran into my white chair. I fell back on the floor, struggling to stand up. I failed horribly at an attempt to keep my eyes open. _Sleep… _I thought, struggling to get myself to stand, let alone sit up. As you can see by my clumsy behavior, I _so _wasn't a morning person. I grabbed hold of the chair, intending to lean on it, but my body's course of action was automatic as I sleepily pulled the chair out, sat on it and rested my head on the desk's hard surface. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, feeling around for my backpack's canvas surface. _There, _I thought, once I felt its sturdy fabric in my hand. _I found it. _Now that I was awake enough to act like a normal human being, I began to fix my bag, arranging books and such. A stifled yawn escaped my lips, as I stood up and stretched my body before walking in the bathroom to take a brief shower. After, I put my uniform on, opting to bring my black Akatsuki coat with me. Then, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and went down.

In the dining room I saw Airi rushing to and fro from here and the kitchen. Thankfully, Sakura and Aunt Chizu weren't here yet. "Morning," I greeted, smiling at her as I walked over to one of the many seats— Aunt Chizu often held parties in the manor— and set my bag on it. Airi gave me a small smile, "Good morning, Miss Hayashi," I nodded.

"What's for breakfast?" I ask. Airi shrugged her shoulders. "Last night, Chizu-sama requested clam chowder, garden salad and French bread." She replied, tucking a loose lock of auburn hair behind her ear. The sound of heels echoed throughout the halls. Suddenly, Aunt Chizu rushes in the room in a huff. The housekeeper followed closely behind her.

"That incompetent little brat!" Aunt Chizu barked into her phone. _I feel sorry for the one who's on the other line… _I thought, making a mental note to _never _call Aunt Chizu when she's angry. Or else, I might go deaf. The main housekeeper pulled the chair out for her and Aunt Chizu sat, narrowing her eyes at the plate in front of her. Airi got into action and poured a cup for Aunt Chizu. Another maid walked in, setting a bowl of clam chowder soup, garden salad and a basket of French bread in front of her. "_Tell _that-that _tool_ that if she doesn't retrieve those papers _at once_, I will personally _kick her off_ _of the top floor _of the office building!" she roared, rubbing her temples.

_Clack._

Airi set my breakfast in front of me. I nodded at her and warily looked at Aunt Chizu. _Kami, she looks like she's having a _seizure_… _I thought, reaching for a slice of bread. I turned to my food before Aunt Chizu caught my eye. Sakura came in, looking as sour as week-expired milk.

Eh, I had a bad experience with expired milk once. Drank it straight from the carton and I wound up having stomachaches for two days straight. Never again did I drink straight out of the carton. Plus, I learned an important lesson that day! 'Check the expiry date before you drink.'

Bleurgh.

Just thinking about it makes me want to puke.

I inwardly shuddered and resumed eating. Aunt Chizu clapped her hands, bringing me and Sakura's attention to her. Sakura cast a glare at me before looking at Aunt Chizu.

"On Friday night, we will be going to New York. We will attend an autumn fashion show and gala there. And, I have an important meeting at one of _Fashion Forward_'s main branches. Pack your bags _today_, as soon as you get home from school. We will get back from New York on Sunday night. Understood?" Sakura and I nodded in acknowledgement. It was nice being able to travel to the many fashion capitals of the world, but I'd really like to go there with someone who didn't make my visit something I'd never want to recall. I shuddered at the memories as I slurped up my clam chowder.

One time, while I was nine, Aunt Chizu took us to Paris for Fashion Week. Sakura pushed me on the runway and I caught onto one of the models' fur coat, making a bunch her tumble down. And _BAM_, a chain-reaction was caused, making the model trip, making a bunch of other skinny toothpick-thin supermodels tumble down onto the runway— like dominoes! Ever since that day, from anyone who has ever been at that event, I've been receiving a bunch of glares. Aunt Chizu began ranting about her 'idiotbimbo secretary' and Sakura glared at me. I gulped, chewing faster on my salad so I can high-tail it out of here faster. I _don't _think I want to stay here a moment any longer. Because, when in doubt (when Aunt Chizu and Sakura are pissed), run away; far, far away. I mentally pat myself on the back, munching on the green leafy vegetables.

"Tomomi, may I talk to you in private for a second?" Sakura asked, smiling sweetly at me. I gulped in nervousness and nodded, "Of course, Sakura-san," She and I stood up and went outside of the dining room. She flashed a smile at Aunt Chizu before narrowing her eyes at me, resembling thick black slits. "Tell that sl*t, Karin, you hang with to get her _f*cking filthy claws _off of _my _future boyfriend, Uchiha Sasuke!" she growled out, clenching a fist for effect. My palms started sweating. "And if you _don't stop _her, _I _will. Don't forget I'm an expert at fencing, Tomomi." And with that, she sashayed back in the dining room. I glared at her back. _I am _not _going to let her have him, _I thought, formulating a plan in mind.

Get ready for mission: 'Hook Karin up with Sasuke: Phase 2'!

* * *

_Beep, beep!_

Kankuro beeped his car once he saw me approaching. I successfully high-tailed it out of the manor, and I got in the van. There, I greeted everyone 'good morning'. "Hey, Tomomi? Guess, guess, guess what?" Temari exclaimed shaking my shoulders. "Wh-what? What did I miss?" Temari grinned. "I _finally _finished one of the songs!" It was _my _turn to shake her shoulders. "Seriously? I _have _to see it! Give it to me, _right now_!" I say, laughing. She took a purple folder out of her navy blue backpack.

"Here," she said, flipping through a few pages. It was that song she wrote at the skate park, if I recall. I read it, word for word, and grinned. "Awesomeness," I said, grinning at her. "When're we going to start recording?"

"Well, we'll need to find the equipment for recording voice and the music." Gaara answered, smirking at me. I blushed slightly, remembering Gaara in his shirtless state the night before. "Y-Yeah…" I say, instinctively looking away whenever I blushed.

Kankuro began to find a good radio station. _Jizz in my pants_ by The Lonely Island was heard throughout the car. I began to snicker as Kankuro began to sing along. "…She turned to me that's when she said it; looked me dead in the face and asked, 'cash or credit'?"

"And I jizzed in my pants," Temari and I sang in unison, laughing a bit. Gaara rolled his eyes. We sang to it on the way to Konoha Academy, as loud as we could. Yes, I _swear _I could feel the pedestrians giving us 'WTF' looks, right now. _Dynamite _by Taio Cruz came on and we promptly started moving around to the beat.

I bet we look like retards.

I brushed the thoughts out of my mind once we reached the academy's front doors. I got out, bidding them goodbye. "I'll ring you up; lunchtime," Gaara said. I nodded in acknowledgement. Everyone was giving us odd looks. Maybe it was because _I Party _by Far East Movement was blasting like crazy. Temari sweat-dropped and hit Kankuro upside the head. Kankuro promptly turned the volume down. Gaara and I sweat-dropped, shaking our heads. Plus, what radio stationplays dance music so early in the morning? Not that it's really a bad thing.

"Yeah, we have to get to school now, Tomomi." Temari said, grinning sheepishly at me. I grinned back, slinging my back over my shoulder. "I'll talk to you later, guys," I said, watching them drive out of the school. I turned around to see myself face-to-face with Karin.

"Ah! What the hell?" I exclaimed, jumping a foot back. Karin ignored my utter surprise; she instead shook my shoulders wildly, making me slightly dizzy. "Oh, my Kami! Tomomi, guess what happened last night!"

"K-Karin, stop shaking me!" she stopped, holding a hand to her chest. "Tomomi… Sasuke called me last night—"

"Hold it _right there_! We have to find Konan first." I grabbed her arm and scanned the area. Konan was obviously with the rest of the Akatsuki, so that means that she's inside. Karin and I walked inside and looked around for Konan.

"Konan! Where the heck are you?" Karin yelled, catching the attention of those around us. I face-palmed, shaking my head. _Oh, Karin… She's not really going to hear you that way._

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of blue hair. _That has _got _to be Konan! _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back. I pulled Karin's arm, walking into the crowd of students. "Konan!" I called out, grabbing hold of Konan's arm. The blue-haired girl turned to me, beaming— and wearing eye-shadow! "Wow," I said, raising an eyebrow at her new makeup. The dark blue eye-shadow and kohl went well with her amber eyes.

"What do you think?" she asked. I gave her a thumbs up, grinning at her. Karin followed, pushing (shoving) a freshman away. "Get your hands off my butt, you perv!" Karin yelled, as the freshman ran away, his friends jeering at him. "I feel so violated," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her arms. She turned to us, noticing Konan's new look. "Oh, my Kami! You look _gorgeous_, Konan!" she squealed shaking Konan's shoulders. Konan's amber eyes widened in surprise as Karin shook her to no stop. "Y-Yeah, I-I j-j-j-just got my new m-m-make-up yester— will you _stop shaking me_?" Karin dropped her arms as Konan and I sweat-dropped. "Guys, I have something to tell you," Karin started, pulling us out of the crowd. She led us to the academy's 3rd floor girls' comfort room and locked the door, leaning on it. Nobody else was in the room but us. "I-I… Guys, Sasuke called me yesterday—" Konan and I squealed in anxiousness. "We wound up talking all night!" We all shrieked like the teenage girls we were.

"Who knew we had _so _much in common?" Karin exclaimed, washing her hands. "We _both _listen to Three Days Grace, we _both _play COD— although _I'd _prefer Assassin's Creed— and, we _both _have the same _Iron Maidens _shirt!" Jeez, I never knew Karin was such a die-hard rocker. With how she looks and how she acts, I thought she'd be listening to girly stuff— like _Barbie Girl_! And, I never would have thought that Karin was a gamer! _Who would have known?_

We continued our talk on Sasuke. "Hey, hey, hey! Chillax, Karin. We've yet to get you win his heart." Konan said, giving us these weird evil looks. Then, she turned to me and smirked. "I heard Deidara took you home," she said, raising a smug eyebrow at me. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to give off that 'so what' vibe. "Yeah, he did! So?"

"You must like him." Konan concluded, smirking at me.

"And he must like you!" Konan added, pointing an accusing finger at me. "No I do _not_! And, _no _he doesn't. We despise each other; end of story!"

"I say it's time for some grilling." Karin said, crossing her arms. "And, _not _the edible kind."

"Uh… Okay."

Karin and Konan smirked at each other before turning to me. "Do you like Deidara?"

"…No."

"Do you have a _crush _on Deidara that you're currently denying to yourself be true?" I shook my head. "Nuh-uh. No way." Karin took her glasses off, raising an eyebrow at me. She looked kind of intimidating. "Really, Tomomi?" I nodded.

"Hai. I don't have a crush on him. I just want to crush him." Konan and Karin began to whisper to each other, making me quite uncomfortable. Konan said to me, "Think about Deidara, Tomomi. His blue, erm, eye, his long blonde hair, his smirk," I shut my eyes, thinking of the bastard. I felt my cheeks redden at the sound of his laugh, his smile, the mischievous twinkle in his frosty blue, erm, eye, his long gold locks, cascading down his broad shoulders. _Yeah, he's hot, _I thought, feeling the corners of my lips curve up into a small smile.

"I'm going to ask you again. Do you, Hayashi Tomomi, like _like _Iwa no Deidara?"

Silence engulfed the room as I sat, pondering with my eyes shut. I sighed.

"Yes, I do. (Unfortunately.)"

At that moment, my eyes snapped open, as I promptly started mentally b*tch-slapping myself.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

**There ya go! How was it? Did it suck? Please tell me if any of the canon characters are acting OOC. Anyways, sorry for the late update! I was at a loss for what to type up for this chapter. I've finally reached 100+ reviews! *dances* Haha~ I **_**promise **_**I'll try my best to make this story worth your time. Believe it! Anyways, do you think Tomomi is a Mary-Sue? I'm going slightly paranoid at the thought of Tomomi being a Mary-Sue. If she has any Mary-Sue-ish traits, **_**do **_**tell me!**

**~JellyDonut~**

**P.S. What was **_**your **_**favorite part? (In this chapter) *silence* Erm, please don't forget to review!**

**P.P.S. Thank you again for all of the feedback!**

**P.P.P.S. Sorry it's so short! I've got exams and it sucked the time and creative brain juice outta me.**


	21. Chapter 21: Ooh, awkward

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Ooh, awkward.

_Bring! Bring!_

I stared at my hands in horror of what I'd just said. Honestly, what was I _thinking_? I ran a hand through my hair as Konan and Karin high-fived each other, smug grins on their faces.

"C'mon, let's get to class," Konan says, lacing each of her hands with Karin's and mine. Karin sweat-dropped and sighed. "I don't want to go to class; I have history with Gai, first period. I don't really like him as my homeroom teacher; he is _way _too preppy for eight in the morning."

"Hey, what's with that kid who looks like him? Is it his son?" Konan shook her head. "You're talking about Lee, right? Yeah, well, Lee's just a student of Gai's here. He _really _looks up to him."

"Demo, what's with the man-hugs?" We walked out of the comfort room as Karin snickered. She leaned in closer to us and whispered, "It's just this weird student-teacher bonding thing they do; they are _obsessed _with the 'power of youth'—" Konan snorted, rolling her kohl rimmed eyes. "_What _power of youth? Gai-sensei is, like, in his mid-thirties or something. So, yeah. That's still not really considered young anymore." _Ooh, burn, _I thought, inwardly snickering. I wonder what Gai-sensei would do if he heard that? A scene played through my mind, one of Gai-sensei dramatically clutching a fist to his chest with a waterfall of tears flowing down his cheeks. _"How could you deny the power of my youth?" _I imagined him say, furrowing a brow at the melodramatic behavior. Huh.

Before I could react, I ran headfirst into someone's back. "Ah! G-Gomen," I mutter, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly, looking at the ground. "Don't worry, un— Tomomi?" My eyes flicker up to meet Deidara's icy blue one. A flustered blush crossed my cheeks, remembering what I'd just said a few minutes ago. "U-Uh, hey," I mutter, trying to get past him so I can get to the science room. But, _BAM_, Chōji comes and squeezes himself through the crowded hallway, promptly shoving Deidara on me. In public. Did I mention that he pushed him on me on public?

Deidara's body was pressed up against mine as a crowd of students pushed through, either going left or right. My ear perked up at the sound of some male students jeering at us. The blonde didn't bother to look, though. His eyes were on me, and it made me uncomfortable. I blushed, watching the students come and go, pressing Deidara further against me.

Ooh, how awkward.

I tried to shimmy to the side and escape this awkward situation, but Deidara didn't let me have it. The blonde slammed his palms on either side of my waist and on the lockers with an audible clanging sound. _Kami, that must've _hurt_! _I thought, biting nervously on my lip. He leaned in, as his lips nearly pressed my forehead. "We should wait for the crowd to thin out— class technically won't start for another fifteen minutes, hmm!"

"But I'll still be late! W-What if today, Kakashi-sensei actually comes to class _on time_?"

"Trust me; he won't, un. Plus, I wouldn't mind spending all day here, with your body pressed up against mine—" I attempted to hit him, even with my restricted movement. "You perverted bastard!" I hissed, trying to step on his feet. He made me miss by lifting one leg up whenever I tried to step on that foot. "Missed me, yeah!" he said, grinning at me. I sighed in defeat and searched the crowd for Konan or Karin. Konan was out of sight, but Karin was talking with Sasuke by the vending machines I never knew they had up until now.

Have you ever noticed that the back of Sasuke's hair looks like a duck's ass? A black duck's ass.

Daffy Duck's ass.

I mentally patted myself on the back for my wittiness even in uncomfortable cringe-worthy moments like this. _Hey, he smells good. _I absent-mindedly thought, taking another whiff of Deidara. Wait, what? I can_not _believe that I am actually _smelling _him. Kami, I'm so affected. _Who wouldn't? The guy's got bucket-loads of sex appeal._ Wait, what? Did I just _think _that? I mentally slapped myself.

"Let me go now," I said, noticing that Sasuke was walking by us, giving us a 'WTF' glance before his expression returned to his normal stoic one. As he walked away, I pushed Deidara off and promptly began to high-tail it to the classroom. Well, I _was _until he caught my arm. "I'll walk you, yeah!" he says, grinning at me. "What the—? No, we're going to the same class anyway."

"All the more reason to walk you there, un!" I face-palmed myself. _The guy has a point._

He laced his fingers with mine, as we walked through the now empty and quiet hallways, nothing alike the hellish state it was in before just a few minutes ago. I felt my cheeks redden at out interlocked hands, yet I didn't pull. I felt as if I _couldn't_. Because, to me, it was like his hand fit perfectly with mine.

Now _that _was corny. What the hell is _wrong _with me? It hasn't been a week, but I actually _like _him now? I'm turning into one of those mushy girls you see on T.V. and in romance novels. Jeez.

Boy hates girl; girl hates boy; boy is a d**che and a man-whore; girl is a headstrong girl that _everybody _loves except for boy. Next chapter, boy likes girl; girl likes boy, but they don't tell each other. Boy flirts with girl; girl falls head over heels for boy, who _still _ends up being a jerk and cheats on her. Girl who used to have self-confidence goes emo; boy is miserable without girl so he also goes emo. Girl has a change of heart and does a stereotypical get back, angsty break-up songs included. Boy makes up with girl with a cheesy dance; boy confesses that girl is the 'fire in his loins', his 'one and only', 'The One'. And, _BAM_, they get married as soon as they're legal. You know; corny stuff. As much as it feels corny and unreal, you can't help but want an oh-so dramatic love life like this one. That's why books like these sell so much.

But, hey, if I'm turning into a mush over a guy like him, who am _I _to judge?

Deidara turned and briefly smirked at me before he opened the door to the classroom. I sighed, pulling my fingers away from his, biting on my lip.

**Here ya go! How was it? Did it suck? I typed this up in a jiffy because I received so many reviews. So I decided to give y'all some Tomomi/Deidara action! Sorry it's so short. I just typed this up today! Anyways, thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! So, what was **_**your **_**favorite part? I tried to make this as funny as I could. My brain juice just dried out; I had exams the whole day. And so, I slightly struggled with this chapter, experiencing a short bout of writer's block. Please don't forget to review!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Do you think that Tomomi's feelings relates to the one of a normal person's? I'd like to hear your responses!**


	22. Chapter 22: Word of Advice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Word of Advice

I walked in with Deidara, slinging my bag to one arm. A paper airplane narrowly missed my eye, poking me in the forehead. _What the hell? _I thought, rubbing my forehead as I watched the paper plane fall to the ground. It was obviously out of fuel. (Not.) A platoon of paper planes promptly followed, attacking an unsuspecting Chōji, who was currently snacking on a bag of barbeque flavored chips— yum, yum!— but, oddly enough, Chōji dodged the airplanes, reaching for another bag of chips from his bag, which lay idly on the floor. Since Chōji didn't get attacked, _I _did, mainly because I was in front of him, at _that very moment_.

Oh, sh*t.

The paper planes started poking me, as I made a mad dash to my seat. Sakura snickered at me, clinging on Sasuke's arm. She sighed in contentment at my discomfort, gazing dreamily at Sasuke. The onyx-eyed Sasuke sweat-dropped, prying her arm away. "You're so annoying," he growled out, glaring at her, causing Sakura's expression to be quite crestfallen. _Poor you, _I thought in mock pity. Haha.

I sat on my chair, crossing my arms on the table and resting my head on them. Deidara followed suit, as every paper plane missed his head by a few inches, not _one single plane_ hitting him. Well, that's rude. If every paper plane managed to hit _me_, you might as well hit him too! I mean, I got _attacked _by them. If this became persistent, I could really see it now, in a headline in some newspaper: **"Death by Paper Airplanes" **in obnoxiously large and bold print. And another thing, who the _hell _is throwing them around the room? I squinted up at the very back of the room. I saw Karin's friend, Suigetsu, making them at a fast pace, a mischievously toothy grin on his face. There was this other guy— Juugo, was it?— setting them on his desk in neat rows. I noticed that the back of the room was very, very poorly lit, even though the windows were free of any curtains, letting light shine in; plus, all of the lights were open. Weird enough, the light never really reached the back of the room, enveloping Suigetsu and Juugo— the only ones at the very back of the room— in darkness. The way I described it sounded dramatic, ne? I inwardly shuddered. _What happened yesterday? Everything was so neat that time! _I thought, recalling first period yesterday. Most definitely, the room wasn't quiet. There was talking, but the place looked fine. Now, it looks like a swarm of paper came alive and attacked the room. I'll bet that Konan would've been impressed with Suigetsu's rapid folding speed, but she would _never _approve of his behavior. The classroom was like the one in a university, with Kakashi-sensei's desk at the bottom. The desks in the first row were on level with Kakashi-sensei's desk. Then, the second row to the fourth row would descend upwards by a small fraction. The fifth to the seventh rows would descend upwards again by one step. And, the very back of the room, the eighth row would be enveloped in darkness. (Sounds kind of evil, ne?) I was in the fifth row while Sakura was in the second row.

I watched as Juugo got a fairly large piece of cardboard paper. He stood up from his seat and gave Suigetsu an inquisitive look. Suigetsu nodded, grinning at him. Juugo lifted the cardboard up above his head before he slammed it down on his desk, sending all of the paper planes to go flying. It was kind of cool, actually! Deidara turned to glare at them, raising an eyebrow. I sighed, watching the flurry of paper airplanes fly around the room. _Jeez. What a waste of paper. _I thought, looking at the paper planes pooling by my feet. I reached for one, unfolding it so I could doodle on it. I took my pencil case out, taking a pen out of it. I began to draw a bunch of stick men, because that's where my skill in drawing takes me so far. _How sad, _I thought, raising an eyebrow at my stick men drawing.

A Busty Girl with shiny brown hair and purple eye contacts came and grabbed Deidara, kissing him. I jumped in my seat, backing away to give the Busty Girl space, because when you have big boobs, a big butt is naturally included. To my surprise, Deidara didn't push her away. No, he didn't. He kissed her back. To think that he was hitting on me a few minutes ago! My hatred on Deidara slowly _but _surely returned. _What an ass! _I fumed, drawing a stick version of Deidara, hiding my drawing from him lest he sees it.

If you haven't noticed, I'm often immature when I'm pissed.

"I missed you, Dei-kun!" she squealed, sitting on his lap. Kami knows _how _she was able to sit at all. Far as _I _know, her ass is so big, whenever she sits, she must be a foot taller. _I really _am _affected! _I thought, trying to calm my nerves down. Why am I insulting her, anyways? She _did nothing _to me, but in a way, yeah; she did. I'm supposed to be getting angry at Deidara! Not some Busty Girl currently making out with him. _Eww, _I thought, getting my cringe on. _She has a tongue piercing! _Yes, folks, they are _frenching it off_, right in _front of me_.

Bleurgh. How disgusting.

_Clack._

Kakashi-sensei walked in, as a paper airplane came his way. He caught it, not even bothering to look up from his _Icha-Icha Paradise _book in his hands. He sighed, crumpling the paper plane in his hand.

"Suigetsu, Juugo; behave, you've already gotten yourself kicked out of Yuuhi-san's class; don't make me kick you out of this one. Clean up," he said, seating himself. "Hikaru; out. Sakura, you know what to do," Hikaru, the Busty Girl, got off of Deidara's lap, glaring at Kakashi-sensei. She rushed off, but not before winking at Deidara. I shuddered, furtively scooting away from Deidara. My skills in stealth were deemed to be futile, as Deidara caught me and grabbed my chair by its base. "Where you going, yeah?" he asked, smirking at me. "You're a jerk!" I hissed, pulling away from his _evil _grasp.

"I know," was his smug reply. _Aye, aye, _I quietly added, recalling a song that popped up in my head. How completely out of the random, ne? He reached for my drawing, but my 'ninja-like reflexes' (yeah, right) kicked in and I luckily crumpled it in time, shoving it in my jacket pocket. "What was it, un?" he asked, trying to reach for my jacket pocket.

"Nuh-uh!" I said, sticking a tongue out at him. 'Are you still pissed at him?' you ask? Well, truth is, _yes_, I _am _still angry at that womanizing little f*cker.

_Calm down, Tomomi, _I thought, rubbing my temples. _Inhale; exhale…_ I repeated, taking my book out. "Let me see, hmm!" he said, reaching over to grab it from my jacket pocket. "No," I mouthed at him, throwing the crumpled piece of paper in my bag. I took my textbook out, opening it to some random page. Suigetsu and Juugo were currently sweeping the paper into a dustbin. Suigetsu stopped by Sasuke and smirked. "Hey, look, Juugo; it's Karin's lover boy," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Sasuke turned away, slightly embarrassed. I grinned, remembering our plan to hook Karin and Sasuke up. On the floor, I reached out for another paper plane. I took a felt tip pen out, drawing designs on it. I felt Deidara tap me on the shoulder. I ignored him, drawing some cool missiles on my paper plane. He rested his head on the desk, looking at me draw.

"Class, open your textbooks to page thirty-eight." Kakashi-sensei said, looking at Suigetsu ripping the paper planes into small shreds. "You're still going to clean that up," Kakashi-sensei told him, unfazed by Suigetsu's behavior; let alone the state of the room. The sharp-toothed boy scowled, kicking the shredded paper on the floor, muttering something under his breath. Juugo sighed, sweeping up the rest of the paper planes.

Kakashi-sensei began lecturing us on cells. I looked at my personalized paper plane and added more missiles. Deidara tapped on my shoulder and slid a crisp sheet of notebook paper under my arm. On it, he wrote: **"What's on the paper? Is it a confession of your love for me?"**

I rolled my eyes and wrote back. **"Don't get your hopes up."**

"**Aw, don't be so mean. Plus, why are you so moody today? Is it your 'time of month', or whatever you girls call it?" **I shot him a glare, intending to get him back during lunch. My mind started to formulate a plan.

"**Leave me alone."**

"**Ohh, so you ****are**** on your time of month! Fascinating."**

"**Go f*ck yourself, you baka!"**

"**Care to assist me?" **I blushed, glaring at him. He grinned at me, leaning up on his chair's two hind legs. I took this as a perfect opportunity, kicking one of the back legs. His eyes widened, as he fell off his chair, hitting his head on the desk behind him. A pang of guilt creeped up inside of me, as my heart began to quicken its pace. Deidara clutched the back of his head, groaning in pain. I shifted in my seat, noticing that everybody's eyes were on us. The blonde sat up on the floor, wincing in pain. My hand flew to my mouth. "D-Deidara, I am _so _sorry! I-I didn't mean to make your head hit the desk!" I said in a rush, standing to help him up. "Oww," he groaned, rubbing his head.

"Tomomi, accompany Deidara to the clinic. Even though I'm sure he isn't _that _hurt, I don't think it'd hurt to have Shizune check on him." Kakashi-sensei said, making me grimace at the prospect, recalling the _last _time Deidara and I went to the clinic. I stretched my arm out to him, but he swatted it away, standing up. He glared daggers at me, rubbing his head as he stormed out of the classroom. I lifted Deidara's chair back in place and Kakashi-sensei gave me an expectant look. I bit my lip, following Deidara out of the classroom, bowing my head slightly. As I quietly shut the door, I saw Deidara had made it half-way down the hall. I rubbed my hands, walking after him.

"Deidara," I start, keeping a short distance behind him. "What do _you _want, hmm?" he demanded, glaring at me. "Gomenasai; I didn't intend for you to hit your head,"

"Oh, really, un?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from his words. "W-Well, yeah! I only wanted you to fall out of the chair; nothing more—" I clapped a hand over my mouth, mentally slapping myself. _That did _not _help the situation, _I thought, furtively backing away. Deidara stopped in his tracks, turning to face me. He walked over, placing a hand on top of my head.

"You're stupid, you know that?" he said, patting me on the head. I blushed, swatting his hand away. "Whatever," I muttered, biting my lip. He quirked the corner of his lip into a small smirk, looking at lips. He licked his own lips, making me freak out. _What the hell? _I thought, backing away slowly.

"You know what'd make me feel better?" he asked, as his smirk broke out into a flirty grin. I was slightly afraid to answer him.

"W-What?" I asked.

"A kiss from you," was his reply. He leaned in, closing his eyes.

_Hell no, _I thought, blushing madly.

I side-stepped away, making Deidara get a face full of locker. _Oops! _I thought, mentally slapping myself. I turned to run; far, far away. "Get back here, un!" Deidara said, chasing after me. I mentally shook my head at the fact that he was bigger than me, therefore making him faster than me. He grabbed my arm, roughly pulling me to the clinic. "C'mon, you're going to accompany me to get some Advil, hmm! My face f*cking hurts now, yeah." I sighed, sweat-dropping slightly.

Deidara opened the brown door to the clinic and we saw Shizune there, filling some forms out. Her eyes flickered to me. "You hit your thumb? _Again_?" I face-palmed, shaking my head. "No, Deidara said he needed Advil. She nodded, standing up. She walked over to one of the cupboards and pulled this obnoxiously large bottle of Advil out. Shizune opened it and took two blue pills out. "So, what'd you need the Advil for?" Deidara glared at me.

"Well, _this _idiot right here kicked the back of my chair and made me hit my head, un!"

"Did you say anything inappropriate to her?"

"Yes," I interrupted, giving Deidara a victorious glance. Shizune shook her head, giving the blonde the pills, along with a disapproving glance (glare). Deidara sweat-dropped, as he went over to one counters and poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher of water set neatly on it. "Trust me on this; you wouldn't want to have him as a boyfriend." Shizune whispered, raising an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"Because, whenever he has a girl he has his eyes set on, he'll pursue her. Once he has her heart, he breaks up with her, not even giving a second thought. A heart-crushing player, he is. I'm the school counselor; plenty of the girls who he's been with come to me for advice. I'm not giving any names, though…"

I nodded, feeling disappointed. A flurry of thoughts raced throughout my mind. _It's only a game? Was he playing me all along? _I thought, swallowing a lump that formed in my throat. Deidara turned to me, pulling my arm as he walked out. I bid Shizune goodbye, as Deidara and I walked down the hall.

"Thank you," I mouthed. She nodded. "Be careful,"

_Trust me; I will._

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review. What's your opinion on the pissed off Tomomi? Send in reviews, ne? I updated sooner than usual, because I was so happy that all of you reviewed. Sorry if the chapter's a bit random. I was too overwhelmed by all of the reviews. But don't stop reviewing! There's more duh-rama to come. I plan to add as many twists in this story to make it original and unique! I can't really help myself if there are corny moments in the story; I am merely fourteen! So, I hope you **_**all **_**(hint, hint) review! You're reviews spark the motivation in me, which then turns into inspiration, which then turns into a more interesting plot!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Thanks again to all who reviewed and added this story to their alerts/favorites!**


	23. Chapter 23: Health and Safety

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Health and Safety

When Deidara and I got back to the classroom, first period was nearly over—

_Bring! Bring!_

Scratch that; it's over. I sighed, grabbing my bag from the side of my desk. I glanced around the room. Suigetsu was currently annoying Sasuke whilst Juugo stood beside the white-haired boy, a thick science textbook in his hands. Sakura was looking into her Lancôme compact's mirror, retouching on her Maybelline lip-gloss. Naruto and Chōji walked out of the room, with this guy with unruly brown hair and two red isosceles triangles, one each on both sides of his slightly tanned cheeks. Deidara was stuffing his belongings into his forest green backpack. Deciding on not to wait for him, I walked out of the classroom. Students overfilled the hallways, making their way to their own respective classes. I walked to my next class, health and safety. Suddenly coming to a halt, a few students behind me ran into me, not expecting the abrupt stop. They started to yell at me, but my mind blocked their nonsense jabbering out as I turned to my right, looking at _them_. They shined in their metallic, tinny glory. A glow was emitted from them, but I think that it was just the fluorescent lights from the inside of the vending machines. I gulped, as my hand drifted to my jacket pocket. _Dare I? _I mused, taking one step towards the row of assorted vending machines, in different shapes and sizes. I stopped myself from taking one more step towards the vending machines; I had two more classes to attend today. _I don't think the teacher would appreciate me bringing in sweets inside the classroom, _I thought, biting on my lip, feeling my mouth water.

I _swear _I saw _Mars _bars there. My stomach gave a small growl, as my mind briefly wandered to thoughts of the _Mars _bar's soft milk chocolate, the sticky, sweet caramel. You can really get a craving out of chocolate when all you eat at home are vegetables. Aunt Chizu and Sakura never bothered with chocolate. They say it's fattening. It's slightly true, but, _c'mon_; it's _chocolate_! After a few seconds of hardcore pondering on whether to eat or not to eat, I decided it was best to use the vending machines later. I licked my lips and continued on my way to class.

Once I entered the classroom, I saw a man with long spiky white hair and red markings going down his face, starting from the lower eyelid going down his cheeks in one straight vertical line. His attire consisted of a dark green suit, a red necktie tied loosely around his neck and a pair of dark brown leather shoes. He was sitting by the desk, writing something down in a small green notebook. I glanced around for a familiar face. 'Luckily', I spotted Sakura and Ino seated by the door.

"My Kami, Sakura, your hair is _gorgeous _today! What did you do?" Ino gushed, looking at Sakura's silky pink locks. My pink-haired cousin smirked. "Nothing at _all_, Ino-pig. I guess it's just my 'natural beauty' (yeah,right) making itself shine!" I ignored their conversation and found a good window seat at the first row. Looking out the window, I saw birds flying in a distinct 'V' formation. Setting my backpack next to my desk, I gazed out of the window, looking at the nature. Now _this _is natural beauty.

Ooh, burn.

Well, it _would _be if Sakura heard that. But if she did, I'm dead, so... oh well! Better safe than sorry, ne?

As I admired the scene outside my window, another thought drifted into my head. I began to blush as I recalled Deidara leaning in to kiss me not too long ago. Kami, he even puckered his lips. I inwardly shuddered, finding a flurry of thoughts racing through my mind. _What if I hadn't side-stepped? _I pondered, furrowing my brows. He'd have kissed me, obviously. But what would I feel? Would I feel different for him or would I still want to give him a can of hardcore butt-kicking? I haven't forgotten that Hikaru thing, you know. Why would I? The thought promptly led me to another thought. _Was Deidara really playing? Will he break the Busty Girl's heart? How will Deidara break it? I can't help myself but feel like I wanted to see the Busty Girl's reaction. _And _that _thought led to _this _thought: _If I let him kiss me, in the end, would I have ended up with a broken heart, no boyfriend and have a future as a weird cat-lady with a bajillion cats? No, no, it probably woudn't affect me that much. But, still! Is he into me like _that _or into me with genuine human feelings? Does he _have _feelings? Probably does since he gets turned on by Busty Girls most of the time. But, here's a hard one: 'Does he have _any _regard for feelings that aren't his own?_

I sat there, in deep thought. The white-haired teacher looked at me weirdly before he resumed writing. I probably looked like I was doing a _Superman _imitation and was currently trying to burn a hole in the wall. So I stopped, lest I freak my own teacher out. _I bet Kakashi-sensei wouldn't really notice though._ I thought, biting my lip. _Plus, he's too busy being late for school. What's up with that? I bet he's too engrossed with reading his porn. That, or the morning traffic jam's a b*tch to get out of. Maybe he has last-minute coffee runs to Starbucks! No, not likely. It's _definitely _the Icha-Icha Paradise book._

As you can see, I'm in really deep thought. It often takes me a while to get out of 'hardcore thinking' mode, because one thought often leads to another, and another, and another— I think I'll stop now. I sighed, closing my eyes and placing my head on the table.

_Thwack!_

I sat upright at the sudden noise. My heart had skipped a beat, and I felt pretty unnerved. My emerald eyes flickered down to a lightly tanned and nicely manicured hand. My eyes trailed up the arm, leading them to the Busty Girl, Hikaru. "May I help you?" I asked in a monotonous voice, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at her. "I heard you hurt my Dei-kun this morning! Jealous much?" She sneered, narrowing her eyes at me. I turned to her. "Jealous of _what_?" Hikaru smirked and pointed (jabbed) a finger to herself. _Damn, that's got to hurt! _I thought, as my left eye couldn't help but twitch a few times.

"Me. You are jealous of _me _and Dei-kun. Jealous of _us_. Well, listen up, sweetie; you will _never _have what Dei-kun and I share!"

"Share _what_? A bed?" I answered, giving her a smug grin. _This is fun, _I thought to myself, liking how aggravated Hikaru got about her 'man'. Hikaru turned her nose up at me. "Like I said; he and I share a special bond that _can't _be broken!" I narrowed my eyes at her, thinking up of a good comeback.

"And your point is? Boast about it to someone who actually _cares_. Since _nobody care _about you and what you do with that bastard, shut the hell up and _sit down_." Hikaru looked absolutely mortified. "How _dare _you, you ugly sl*t?" _Me? A sl*t? No way, dude._

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to break it to you; _you're _the sl*t. Not me. Do you _see _me whoring myself to other men in public? No, you don't. If you don't have anything nice or at least something somewhat _decent _to say, then, shut up. Just saying," I said, smirking victoriously at her. She narrowed her artificially purple eyes at me.

"Yo, Hikaru, un—"

_Slap!_

My eyes widened as Hikaru slapped me. In the face. Did I mention that she slapped me in the face. _Okay, I deserved that, _I mentally admitted to myself, mentally shaking my head. The left side of my cheek burned as my breathing became ragged. "Serves you right, you whore! Don't you ever dare hit on my Dei-kun again— Ah! Deidara-kun? What's gotten into you?" Everybody in the room started snickering as my eyes started to water. A feeling of déjà vu came over me.

_**Flashback**_

_**Age: 13**_

_Sakura did it again. She'd publicly humiliated me in front of the entire class. This time, she'd gone and humiliated me in front of my first crush, Sho. This morning, false rumors were already circulating the school that I was infected with head-lice (courtesy of Sakura) and now, everybody was avoiding me like the plague, in fear that they'd get infected._

_I scraped up whatever self-confidence I had in myself; and for a twelve year-old, I didn't have much. I walked over to Sho, who was sitting with the other boys in our class. His laugh brought a small smile to my face as his piercing blue eyes shone with happiness. His chocolate brown hair was styled into a messy mop. Sho had his skateboard in his hands as he and his friends watched me approach._

"_Hey, Sho?" I timidly asked, clutching a box of chocolates I had in my hand behind my back._

"_What're you hiding?" Sho asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at me. "Dude, maybe it's her head-lice," one of his friends commented. I shifted uneasily. "I-I don't have head-lice, actually…" I said, trying to convince them._

_I took a step closer, and they all froze in place. Not one of them made a single move, until Sho stood up and walked over to me. "How can it _not _be true? Sakura said it herself! She's your cousin. Duh!"_

"_Dude, Sakura is the class' vice-prez! I doubt that she would lie," one of the boys yelled._

_I flinched, and before I lost all of my willpower to do this, I shoved the box of chocolate into his chest. "Here! I got them for you," I weakly said, looking at my shoes._

"_Woah, dude! She's got a crush on you man! Head-lice Hayashi's gonna get you!" another boy yelled, sending a pang of hurt to spread throughout my chest._

_Sho dropped the box of chocolates on the floor, shaking his head. "No thanks! I like someone else." I stiffened, before raising my head up to look him in the eye. "W-Who?" I asked, expecting the expected._

"_Sakura," he replied, before giving me a smirk. The boys behind him laughed and jeered, chanting 'head-lice Hayashi', over and over. Nearby students joined on and chanted with them, as I started to cry._

_**Flashback ends**_

Deidara's voice snapped me out of my thoughts as he shook my shoulders. I pushed him away, as the teacher stood up and made Hikaru to go back to her seat. "Hey, kid, you alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I covered my eyes with my hands as I tried as hard as I could to stop crying.

"Serves you right, you annoying little—"

"Stop it, Hikaru!" the teacher bellowed at the girl. In an instant, I felt so tiny and powerless, having a teacher defend me. I couldn't defend myself. At the thought, my crying ceased, and I sat still, hoping that nobody was looking at me.

"Hikaru, we'll need to have a talk, yeah," Deidara growled out from beside me. "How do you feel, kiddo? I can write you a pass to Shizune's." the teacher said. The thought of being able to get away from the room sounded nice, but I refused. I refused to show Hikaru and Sakura I was a weakling. I uncovered my eyes and smiled at him. "I'm okay," I said, as my smile stretched out into a grin. He gave a good ol' pat (whack) on the back and returned to his desk. He cleared his throat, making the rest of the class go quiet.

"I see a few new faces today! I'm Jiraiya, your teacher for Health and Safety!" he said, as the grin on his face widened. "This term, we will be focusing on sex ed.," A series of groans and murmuring arose. He lifted his hand, and everybody quieted down. "As I said, we will be focusing on sex education. Now, has anyone ever taught you about the birds and the bees? Raise your hand." A number of hands flew up. I chuckled at this, but stopped once I felt Deidara's hand on my back. "You have health and safety, too?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his arm. "Yeah, I do, hmm! What happened back there, yeah?" he asked, removing his hand from my back and placing it on my cheek. "It was just one of your stupid fangirls."

"Then why were you crying, un?" I paused, trying to find the right choice of words.

"I… remembered something."

"Remembered what?"

"Something."

"Well, what was this 'something'?" he asked, adding air-quotes.

"Nothing, nothing," I said, looking away. His thumb started to stroke my cheeks in a circular direction. I started to blush, pushing his hand away. "You're so weird, yeah! One second, you're angry; next is, your sad and crying; now, you're smiling like nothing ever happened, hmm! Women, un. Love them, but they're so troublesome sometimes, hmm," Deidara muttered under his breath, looking at Jiraiya-sensei show them a magazine with nudes. I blushed, as my eye promptly started twitching. _What kind of weird ass curriculum is this? _I thought, as I grimaced at the many, _ahem_, suggestive photos. Nearly every boy ogled at the magazine.

"Wow, un! That's one nice rack, yeah!" Deidara cheered, grinning enthusiastically at the magazine. I rolled my eyes. _Scratch that, every guy in this room is ogling at the magazine and _liking _it._

"Now, pay attention, everyone! This is the vagina—" I choked on my own spit, coughing madly. _Disgusting! _I thought, trying to catch my breath. Jiraiya-sensei's magazine fell to the groung, right in front of Sakura. He kneeled down, trying to peek under her short skirt. Sakura immediately sat straight, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You pervert!" she shrieked, fanning herself with her hand. "Oh, my Kami," she muttered, giving him a disgusted look. The guys chuckled, making Sakura blush in embarrassment. She turned to glare at them. "Oh, shut the f*ck up! If word of this spreads, I will have my lawyers sue you all! This is an invasion of my private air-space!" The room quieted down, except for the occasional intentional 'held-back' chuckle. The entire room was quiet as Jiraiya-sensei stood up, grinning sheepishly.

"Does it hurt, un?" Deidara asked, turning to me, giving my cheek an experimental touch.

"No, no; it doesn't," I mutter, folding my arms on the table and laying my head on them. Deidara did the same, facing me. "I'll deal with Hikaru, un. So don't worry about it much, yeah?" he said, smiling at me. I smiled back, noticing a tinge of red began to color Deidara's cheeks.

"About this morning…" I start, looking sheepish. "I didn't mean for you to hit your head," I said, leaning on just one arm because the other arm started to numb. I placed it on my lap, looking at Jiraiya-sensei, who was eagerly telling us about the reproductive organs. _Pervert. _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back. Deidara still looked at me. I sat up straight and looked away, feeling awkward. "Dude, stop looking at me," I said, pushing his face away. He smirked, but complied. Instead, he resumed ogling at the magazines Jiraiya-sensei was showing to us, explaining how we _use _our reproductive organs in _that _way. Uh… okay.

My phone vibrated, surprising me a little. I discreetly took it out and saw that I got a text from Gaara. **"Hey, Tomomi! You in class?"**

I grinned and replied, **"Yep. I'm in health and safety. You?"**

"**I'm in algebra. Baki's lecturing us again. I'm so bored."**

"**I'm learning sex ed. Haha."**

"**I see you're taking a fond liking to the subject. ;)"**

"**Heck no! The teacher's a pervert. He's showing us nudes. Not Gauguin, but more like stuff you'd see if Icha-Icha Paradise was illustrated."**

"**Yep. I'll call you at lunch?"**

"**Of course!"**

"**I gotta go, Baki's giving us our test papers back."**

"**Sure thing. Talk to you later!"**

"**Yeah, I'll ring you up. Later."**

I kept my phone in my pocket, only to see Deidara looking at me. "It's that Gaara dude again, yeah?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I stepped on his foot. "You were reading my texts?" I demanded, only to have him smirk at me. "Yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist, un! It wasn't _that _interesting, hmm!"

I hit him up the head as he playfully chuckled.

_Deidara no baka! Baka Deidara! _I thought, scowling at him.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review! Anyways, I hurried and updated for y'all again because I was so ecstatic about your reviews. I was actually going to type this chapter up next week, but I couldn't resist! Writing this story is such a **_**blast**_**! So… did Tomomi seem Mary-Sue-ish in this chapter? Was Deidara OOC? Please, please, please review; I'd really appreciate it! Thank you **_**so **_**much to all who reviewed and added this story to their alerts/favorites!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Please don't forget to review! I hope to get around 140+ reviews soon. Help me? Haha~**

**P.P.S. If you like AU Deidara stories like these, I suggest you read '**_**I'd rather be in Narnia**_**' by Sasuke-KiraLover. It's an insanely funny story; read it, ne?**

**P.P.P.S. No Name: Who are you? Haha~**


	24. Chapter 24: Sweet Revenge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

Sweet Revenge

_Bring! Bring!_

I grabbed my books and stuffed them in my bag, heaving a sigh. I felt as if I hadn't really _learned _anything today, because Jiraiya-sensei just showed us nudes on his porno magazines all period. Well, unless you consider finding out new 'love positions' education, then I guess I learned something. I inwardly shuddered as I slid my pencil case in my bag. _Pervy sensei! _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back.

"Does your cheek still hurt, hmm?" I turned to Deidara, who was still in his seat. I shook my head. "No, why?" Deidara narrowed his eyes at Hikaru. "I'll deal with _her _for a minute." He said, standing up. I slung my bag, eavesdropping on them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deidara pull Hikaru's arm roughly to one corner of the class.

I stood still, closing my eyes so I could hear them better. I heard that if your eyes are closed, your other senses heighten! Okay, so I _might _have gotten that from a _Cosmopolitan _magazine I found in one of Aunt Chizu's private jets, but, hey! I was bored. Not to mention very, very jetlagged.

"What the f*ck did you _do_, Hikaru, un?" Deidara hissed at Hikaru. I heard a squeak from the Busty Girl. "B-But Deidara-kun, s-she was trying to r-ruin w-what we h-h-had!" Hikaru stuttered out nervously. "D-Deidara-kun, please… You're hurting my arm!" I snapped my eyes open, making my way to the door. Once I was in the hallway, I peeked in the classroom. Deidara had a death grip on Hikaru's arm. He was glaring at her as Hikaru tried to pry his hand off. "And _what _did we have, yeah?"

"A special bond!" Hikaru shrieked, narrowing her eyes at Deidara. Her voice was clearer than last time. "I couldn't let that-that _slut _destroy us! What we _have_!" she exclaimed, shaking Deidara's shoulder. The blonde's expression relaxed. He smirked at her. "We have _nothing_, hmm! There _is _no 'special bond', yeah!" Hikaru's eyes widened, as her face paled. "A-Are you breaking _up _with me?" she managed to choke out as Deidara took his hand off her arm. "'Breaking up', 'seeing other people', 'taking a break'; call it what you want, un! It's over," He turned to walk out. I concealed myself more, earning myself a few 'WTF' looks from my fellow peers. "All because of that slut Tomomi?" she yelled out, breaking down in tears. Well, that is just mean. _I'll be kicking some Busty Girl butt at lunch! I am _so _not a slut!_

Deidara paused in his tracks, turning to face her. "…I don't know that either, yeah!" he answered, smiling at her. Hikaru ran at him and hugged his back. "Dei-kun, I _know _that you're just-just _confused _about who you want to be with right now, but trust me; you _want _to be with me. I _know _you do." She looked up at him with her big artificially purple eyes as she clung onto him. Deidara looked to the side, contemplating whether he was making the right decision. "Nope. Sorry, yeah! But," he leaned in closer to her. "Sorry, Hikaru, hmm! You're replaceable." And with _that_, he turned to walk out of the room. I rushed away lest he catches me eavesdropping. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. _Sure, she slapped me in front of class; yeah, she called me a 'slut' and a 'whore', but what a rough break-up .That's got to burn… _I thought, walking past the vending machines. I gave them a glance, wondering if I should get my _Mars _bar now. "I'll do it later," I told myself, finding myself in a split-second thought about all the shiny coins I'd be putting in the machine in exchange for a deliciously chocolate-y bar of _Mars_. _My next class is history with Tobi_, I thought to myself. Whilst I was stopping by my locker to get my books, the moment I opened my locker, a crisp piece of paper fell out. I curiously watched it gently fall to the ground at my feet. Raising an eyebrow at it, I picked it up and turned it over. **"To: Tomomi" **it read on one side. I discreetly slipped it into my jacket pocket, looking around. Then, I swiftly got my books, closed my locker and got to class.

_Clack._

I opened the door, only to see Gai-sensei and Lee sharing another man-hug. I sweat-dropped, rubbing my head. _Obviously_, this _was _an everyday thing. Well, for _them_, anyways.

"Tomomi-chan, Tomomi-chan! Tobi's over here!" I heard a familiar voice cheerfully yell out. I turned to face Tobi, who was standing up from his seat and waving (flailing) his arms around wildly. I grinned, sitting next to him. "Hey, Tobi," I greeted as he sat down in his seat. "Tomomi-chan, guess what?" he asked, juming up and down in his seat with excitement. I raised an eyebrow. _Did Tobi get another bendy pencil? _I thought to myself. "What?" I asked back. Tobi jumped up and down in his seat. "Look! Look! Tobi found a quarter!" I sweat-dropped, finding both it stupid and— surprisingly— cute at the same time._ Aw, how cute! _I gushed, resisting the slight urge to pinch his cheeks after I forcefully pull his mask off. In between his left index finger and his thumb was— indeed— a quarter. A shiny one at that!

"Where'd you find it?"

"Tobi found it in the boys' comfort room!" he exclaimed happily, shaking it in his hands.

"Uh… Okay," I sweat-dropped, pulling my notebooks out. "Okay, class! We will do a summary on the history of feudal Japan!" Gai-sensei boomed, writing **"Feudal Japan" **on the blackboard.

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee answered, standing up from his seat and saluting in acknowledgement. The boy with long brown hair, milky white eyes and pale skin sitting beside him sweat-dropped. "Lee—" the boy started, but said the person cut him off. "I promise to youthfully fulfill this youthful assignment, Gai-sensei! If I fail to do so, I shall run five hundred laps around the school grounds and do two thousand push-ups (_Holy crap_, Batman!) in the school playing field as punishment!" And with that, he sat down; looking at the blackboard with determination with his lips snapped shut. Gai-sensei was _actually _crying tears of _joy_. My peculiar youth-obsessed sensei dramatically raised a fist up and yelled out, "Now, my youthful students; you are the future of this world!" _Wow, this is _seriously _getting dramatic. _"So, let's write our summaries on feudal Japan, where our youthful ancestors fought bravely to protect this youthful country!" "Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee said, giving a curt nod before opening his textbook. I could only stare at the scene that had just unfolded itself before my very eyes. It was kind of… dramatic. Like what you'd see in those melodrama T.V. shows!

Really, really dramatic.

I shrugged the thoughts out of my head as I cracked my history textbook open and began to summarize the history of feudal Japan.

* * *

_Bring! Bring!_

My ears perked up at the sound as I heard the bell ring. My stomach instinctively growled, as I absentmindedly rubbed it, giving it a few pats. I stood up with Tobi, as I cracked my back. My hand was slightly aching from all the writing I'd been doing— who knew the history of feudal Japan was so long (boring)? I stifled a yawn, keeping my books in my bag. I skipped down the hall as Tobi followed, showing everyone that was in his line of vision his quarter. I walked over to the vending machines, reaching for the wallet. My stomach growled at the thought of _Mars _bars. They're like heaven in chocolate form! And, _no_, I'm not exaggerating (that much). "Tomomi-chan, where are you going?" Tobi yelled out. I shrugged my shoulders and motioned to the vending machine. He ran past me, pressing his orange masked face against the vending machine. "Ooh! Tobi wants the _Milky Way _bar!" He squealed (I am _not _joking), poking at the vending machine's glass surface. I nodded, waiting for him to get his bar. I looked at the row of colorful vending machines. One sold chocolate bars, one sold a variety of chips, one sold drinks and another sold coffee (What the hell?).

Tobi only looked at the _Milky Way _bars. My stomach growled. "Tobi, I'll treat you to a chocolate bar!" I exclaimed, pulling my wallet out. _Because the sooner Tobi got his chocolate bar, the sooner I'd get mine, ne?_ I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back. I gently pushed him to the side and put in three quarters in its slot, pressing on the glowing _Milky Way _button. An audible _thunk _was heard. I knelt down and took the small _Milky Way _bar out. Tobi hugged me, knocking the wind out of me. "Thank you so much, Tomomi-chan!" he said, carrying me up. "Tobi! Put me down," I said in a rush, in fear that he'll drop me. He set me on the ground, and I gave him his _Milky Way _bar. He slowly took it, as if he were accepting an Oscar award. Once it was in his hands, he cheered, running away.

"Yay!" I heard Tobi yell out. _What the f*ck? _I thought, absentmindedly reaching for a few more quarters. I felt a crisp piece of paper and furrowed my brows. _I'll read it later, _I concluded, giving myself yet another pat on the back. As usual, I put in three shiny quarters in the machine and pressed on the _Mars _button.

Yet no audible _thunk _was heard.

I furrowed my brows and gave the vending machine a good ol' whack. It didn't even get a dent. "You need some help?" I heard a voice ask. I turned to see the bassist, Akihiro, smirking at me. He flipped his jet black hair that reached the nape of his neck to the side with a shake, as his brown eyes held a glint of mischievousness. I could only nod. He walked over, leaning against the cursed vending machine as he pushed his thick rimmed glasses up. "So, you like chocolate?" I gave a shrug. "Yeah, I do. What's it to you?" Akihiro shrugged back. He stood up straight and gave the machine a swift thud on the side.

_Thunk._

My eyes widened as I grinned at him. "Oh, my Kami! Thank you _so _much!" I exclaimed, reclaiming the _Mars _bar from the vending machine and claiming it as mine. Akihiro grinned at me. "How did you do that?" I asked, looking over to the side of the vending machine. He shrugged his shoulders. "The _Mars _bars get stuck all the time. Give it a good whack here," he motioned to a particular spot on the side of the machine. "and it'll come right out." I grinned. "Aa, thanks for helping me out!" Akihiro leaned into me. I stiffened. "Do I get a reward?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I shook my head. "Uh… I don't know." I said, turning away and running away from him. That look he just sent me sent chills down my spine. I inwardly shuddered, intending to get myself lost in the crowd.

Once I finished keeping my books in my bag, I went to the cafeteria. The moment I walked in, someone pulled me by the arm. It was Konan. "Tomomi, where've you been? I've been looking all over for— _what _happened to your cheek?" I stiffened.

She shook her head as she held on my shoulder tightly. Konan looked at the ground."So the rumors were true…" she darkly muttered under her breath. She snapped her head up and smiled. "Let's go get lunch, ne?" I smiled, nodding. "Where's Karin?" I ask as we grab some trays. Today, the cafeteria served American food. Konan smirked. "She's with hanging with her future boyfriend," she said, taking a bottle of mineral water.

"I guess our plan was a success!" I say, looking at the menu. "What'll you have?" a lunch lady asked me. "I'll have a cheese burger, but hold it on the pickles! And I'll get a medium serving of fries." She nodded and took Konan's order, which was a chicken burger and a small serving of fries. Once we got our food, we headed to the cashier to pay for it.

"Oi, you little skank!" I heard a shrill voice bark out. I turned to see Hikaru and her Bust Girl cronies glaring at me. I set my tray down by the counter lest I spill my Coke. She gave me a sour look as she narrowed her mascara-smudged eyes at me, effectively making her look like a raccoon-slash-hooker. I walked over to her. "How did the break-up go?" I casually asked, smirking at her. She and her busty cronies gasped, all simultaneously putting their right hands on their chests. Truth be told, I found it kind of weird (scary).

"It's all because of _you_, you little b*tch! You think you're so great!" she shrieked, pouring her vegetable smoothie on my head. I shuddered at the cold as the cafeteria went silent. Anger began boiling in my blood, as I glared at her. I cracked my knuckles and punched her, right in the nose. Gasps erupted from all over the room. Hikaru fell back as she clutched her nose. "M-My nose!" she sobbed, as her other cronies backed away, not a single one helping her.

"That felt _so _good," I muttered under my breath, smirking at her. I normally wouldn't even _slap _anyone who pisses me off in front of Sakura, but, to be frank, I could _not _care less. Well, not _now_, anyways. I looked at the Busty Girls. Hikaru glared at me, standing up to her full height… which was still slightly shorter than me, even though she was wearing high-heels. _I'll bet if she and I sat on the same bench, she'd be the taller one because her butt is so big, _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back. _I guess all of those self-defense lessons Gaara taught me finally paid off, _I thought, shaking the excess smoothie on Hikaru. Konan just stared in shock before turning to me. "Oh, my Kami," she said, slightly shaking her head.

"What is going on here?" a loud voice boomed. I snapped my head to see principal Tsunade by the entrance of the cafeteria. Hikaru pointed an accusing finger at me. "P-Principal Tsunade! The new girl started it! I was just walking by, when I accidentally spilt my drink on her; then, she punched me! In the nose, principal Tsunade!" she cried, dramatically backing away. "Nuh-uh! This was _so _not an accident!" I half-yelled at Hikaru, motioning to my smoothie soaked uniform.

As I said, I'm quite immature when I'm pissed.

"Wrap this up," I heard Konan whisper to the cashier, motioning to my food. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the cashier nod in acknowledgement. "What Tomomi-san said is true, Tsunade-sama; it cannot be helped that Tomomi-san took the necessary steps to protect herself." Pein-san said, looking stoic as he walked over to us. Principal Tsunade pressed her lips together before she finally opened them. "Two of you; come with me," she said, motioning to Hikaru and I. I heaved a sigh, but I wasn't regretting the decision of punching the Busty Girl. She deserved it, all right. Principal Tsunade walked down the hall. I frowned at the sticky feeling of the smoothie as I followed principal Tsunade out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"…I'm not surprised to see this behavior from _you_, Hikaru. I must say, I'm very disappointed." Tsunade looked over to me. "You; you may go. I suggest you change after a quick shower in the gym's shower cells." I nodded, casting Hikaru one last glare before I walked out of the principal's office. Outside, I saw Karin and Konan waiting for me. "Tomomi, how did it go?" They anxiously asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. "My name's been cleared and… I need a change of clothes."

"Uh… I didn't bring my gym bag with me…" Konan said, looking sheepish. Karin grinned sheepishly at me. "Sorry…" I inwardly sighed. "Okay… I'll just go wash this gunk off," I said, giving them a small smile. "Hold on! We can ask the guys," Konan said, smirking at me.

_Oh, _hell _no…_

They pulled me to the cafeteria, as Konan practically dragged me to our table. "Hey, guys, do you have any extra t-shirts?" Konan asked. Deidara stood up and smirked. "I do,"

Karin placed a bag of food in my hands. "It's yours. Konan and I have something to do, so you go on with Deidara, okay?" she said, with a devious glint in her eye. I narrowed my eyes.

"What're you trying to pull?" I asked, as Deidara pulled me away. Konan and Karin smirked at each other.

* * *

"Oh, my Kami, Hikaru! Does your nose hurt?" one of the Busty Girls asked the brunette. She turned to them, glaring. "Of course it f*cking does! My new nose," she whined, frowning at her appearance in the girls' comfort room mirror.

_Clack._

Konan and Karin walked in, cracking their knuckles. The blue-haired beauty made the first move by slapping Hikaru in the face. "K-Konan-san? Wh-what're you _doing_?" she spat out, clutching her cheek. Konan shrugged and smirked. "Now, now… Normally, I wouldn't act so brashly as one of the two female members of the Akatsuki, but this? This is an exception." She folded her manicured hands as Karin wrapped an arm around Konan's shoulder, grinning slyly at them.

"Payback, b*tch," Karin said.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review; I'd appreciate it! I'm sorry if the last part is a tad too rushed. I'm currently in a rush. And if **_**I'm **_**in a rush, I intend to get one chapter finished within the allotted amount of time. I'm sorry for the late review! I haven't been allowed to use the computer, but for **_**you **_**guys, I'll make an exception! Because you are all so awesome! Thank you **_**so **_**much for the reviews! I'll try my best next time! I'm sorry if this chapter was OOC, not funny or just plain crappy!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I'd appreciate it if you read and reviewed my one-shot **_**Three Little Words**_**! It's an Itachi/OC.**


	25. Chapter 25: Gaara Calls!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Gaara Calls

Deidara and I walked down the halls, as I felt the icky vegetable smoothie crawl down my chest. It was beginning to dry and stick to my clothes, making me feel uncomfortable as Aunt Chizu and Sakura's dad would feel if they were in the same room… Or the same country, for _that _matter. Even worse; I was beginning to itch. _What the _hell _does she eat? _I thought, resisting the urge to scratch myself like crazy, and possibly making myself resemble a monkey.

"Where'd you learn how to punch like that, hmm?" Deidara asked me. In the background, I heard a few voices coming from the girls' comfort room. _What's happening there? _I thought, as a number of possibilities flew through my mind. "Answer me, yeah!" I snapped out of my thoughts and faced Deidara. "What?" He face-palmed himself, groaning in frustration. "Where did you learn how to punch like that, un?" he exclaimed as we walked through the hallowed halls of Konoha Academy. I stared at the blue and gold linoleum flooring, noticing that the smoothie was currently dropping from the tips of my jacket and onto the floor. I shrugged my shoulders. "Gaara taught me," I answered, smirking at him. "So don't piss me off. If you do, I'll definitely kick your ass," He grinned at me, inching closer. "Wanna bet, hmm?" the blonde asked, giving me a smug grin. "Remember, yeah; I'm bigger than you, un! I could've taken advantage of you whenever I wanted; I was just too much of a gentleman to do so, hmm!" I paled as my jaw dropped, possibly reaching the ground.

_That perverse bastard!_

My face began to flush many shades of red, as I rushed away, feeling the smoothie go _slosh, slosh, slosh _in my shirt. I shuddered. _What a pervert, _I thought, looking at Deidara from the corner of my eye.

The bastard actually looked smug. _I'm gonna wipe that smirk of your face, baka! _I fumed, narrowing my eyes at him. I mean, really. 'Taken advantage'? Nice vocabulary usage, perv. I rolled my eyes. _How could he have taken advantage of me, anyway? _I thought, feeling a sense of relief. Well, I _was_ until my mind recalled the incident the time we had that dance, that night Deidara and I were in the comfort room in that restaurant, that time we were in the clinic when I hit my thumb, that time I was going home from Hidan's house, this morning before science class…

_Holy jizz! _I thought, feeling my cheeks redden at the thought. _I'm such a pervert! _I thought, mentally slapping the thoughts out of my head.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"What is your problem?" Hikaru demanded, glancing at the mirror every so often to inspect her nose and cheek. "The problem is _you_, Hikaru; once you mess with one of the members of the Akatsuki, you mess with _all _of us. And those who cross the line and _dare _defy us _will _be driven to the ground. Understood?" Konan told the Busty Girl, looking 'elegantly stoic'. Hikaru defiantly shook her head, as her shiny brown hair shook along with it. "I will _not _be humiliated anymore!" she dramatically cried, as Konan, Karin and a few other Busty Girls behind her rolled their eyes. They all shared a single thought, which was:

_Yeah, right._

Much to everyone's surprise, Hikaru aimed to throw a punch at our 'Future Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke' instead of Konan. Karin, used to such fights, grabbed Hikaru's oncoming fist and twisted it. Hikaru's upper body twisted along, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror in agony (yeah, right). "Ow! Let go of me, you b*tch!" Hikaru shrieked, trying to claw Karin's arm. Alas, Karin, like any student in the academy, was wearing a jacket, and this Busty Girl tactic was deemed an epic phailure. Hikaru, who had just noticed this, conceived a new strategy and threw herself on Karin (Busty Girl Butt-Bump!), which threw the bespectacled beauty towards the door. Konan narrowed her eyes at Hikaru, as she walked towards her. Hikaru prepared another punch, but was cut off by Konan, who had kicked the Busty Girl in the ass. Literally, she kicked her butt. A Busty Girl crony with platinum blonde hair, a tan and baby blue 'Big-Eyes' contacts pushed Konan away, but the origami-folding Akatsuki member stood her ground.

"I am, like, _so sick _of you Akatsuki! You're always, like, acting like you're, like, the damn best, you, like, know that?" Obviously, this girl's favorite word is 'like'. She must get one hell of a high out of Facebook. Konan narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Don't interfere, freshman."

"I'll do _whatever _the hell I want!" she yelled out, aiming to jump on our blue-haired beauty.

Konan's amber kohl-rimmed eyes widened.

* * *

Deidara and I walked in the locker room, after we made our way through the gym. We haven't spoken since that awkward 'taken advantage' moment. But, seriously, who _wouldn't _feel awkward if they had a cupful's worth of vegetable smoothie in their shirts and the guy who just broke up with the girl who poured the veggie smoothie on your head said that he could've taken advantage of you anytime he wanted? I inwardly shuddered, furtively walking away from him.

"You go ahead and hit the showers, yeah! I'll get your clothes, un," he said. I nodded and walked in the direction of the girls' locker room. I walked past the numerous rows of the red lockers and made my way to my locker. It had only a towel in it. I shrugged my shoulders, grabbing the white, fluffy towel between my index finger and thumb lest I stain it with Hikaru's spit-infused vegetable smoothie. I smiled, feeling a bit of the dried smoothie crack off once I stretched my mouth upwards. _I'm gonna be clean! _I cheered in my head, as my pace going to the shower stalls quickened. "Here, un," I heard Deidara call out. In his hands were a clean white button-up shirt, a bar of soap and a bottle of— I kid you not, _Dove _shampoo. I gave him a look. He smirked, shrugging his shoulders. I rolled my eyes, walking in one of the shower cells.

I set the clothes on a hanging rod, as I warily locked the door and stripped my clothes off, feeling uncomfortable at the feeling of the sticky smoothie, sticking my clothes to my skin. I opened the shower, feeling the water on my skin as I rinsed off the vegetable crap Hikaru poured on me. And in an instant, I felt _so _much better and cleaner.

'_Do you feel like a man when you push her around? Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground? Well, I'll tell you my friend—' _My ears perked up at the sound of my phone ringing. I turned the shower off and took my phone out of my jacket pocket, drying a hand on the towel lest I get electrocuted.

"Hello?" I called out.

"_Hey, Tomomi," _I heard Gaara say to me. I smiled. "Oh, hey, Gaara! What's up?"

"_Nothing much. Temari and Kankuro are arguing about which band is better. It sucks that I'm the only tie breaker here. So, how 'bout you?" _I paused.

"Uh…"

"'_Uh' what?" _Gaara asked, with a hint of playfulness in his tone. I bit my lip.

"I'm… uh, I'm taking a shower…"

"_W-What?"_

"Well, I got in this fight with this girl in school…"_ I feel like a kid. _"She was dissing me and she poured a cup of vegetable smoothie on my head and so I…"

"_What'd you do?" _I could feel the smirk in his voice. "Ne, I punched the b*tch."

"_I knew it!" _We laughed for a while.

"_I miss you," _he said. I blushed, feeling this bubbling feeling in my stomach. "Aww, I miss you too, Gaara."

* * *

Karin sprung into action and grabbed the blonde Busty Girl's fake extensions. The blonde yelped in pain, before resuming trying to kick Karin. Karin ducked, as Konan pulled Hikaru to face her. Hikaru raised a hand to slap Konan in the face, only to have Konan raise a hand up, effectively blocking the oncoming slap. Konan pushed Hikaru's hand away with the back of her hand, before turning her hand and twisting Hikaru's wrist. Karin shoved the blonde, casting a sharp glance at the other Busty Girls. They shot Karin and Konan dirty looks before scampering out of the comfort room, probably in fear that they'll break a nail or something.

"You b*tch! I will, like, _so _tell principal Tsunade that you, like, attacked us, you, like, crazy b*tches!" the blonde Busty Girl hissed, making melodramatic finger and neck movements.

Oh, no, you_ di'nt_.

Konan smirked. "Go ahead; we are the Akatsuki: you can tell principal Tsunade all you want, but once any of us say it's false, nobody will listen to you." She simply said, pushing Hikaru away. Karin cornered the blonde Busty Girl and narrowed her eyes. The two had a brief glaring contest before the blonde opened her mouth to speak. "Karin, we, like, _may _have been friends at, like, one point, but now? This," the blonde busty girl made a circular motion with her manicured hand. "This is where it, like, all ends here," the blonde flipped her long bleached hair and smirked. "Actually, it, like, _has _been, ever since you, like, started, like, hanging out with those freaks (pronounced fur-reeks), Suigetsu and Juugo. Is that, like, how far you've fallen?" Karin glanced up at her former 'best friend' (fiend) and smirked.

"I'm sorry? Was I supposed to care? I stopped hanging out with you whores because all you ever cared about was how _your _asses looked in a lace thong! (Ew.) Plus; Juugo and Suigetsu are good friends," she glanced at the amber-eyed girl, currently leaning on the door. "So are Konan and Tomomi. So if you have something _actually worthwhile_ to say, say it and say it _to my face_. You should really stop acting like the coward you are, Kiku." Kiku raised a hand to slap Karin. Karin stopped her, punching Kiku in the face. "It's about time someone put you in your place," Karin spat out, as she made her way to Konan. Kiku scowled, as Karin rolled her eyes.

"Stop scowling; your face will sag." Kiku instantly stopped scowling and opted to pout, taking sideway glances at the mirror to see if she looked cute while she was doing it.

"In the end, they were never really worth it," Konan deadpanned as they exited the comfort room. Karin crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Never were; never will,"

"Damn straight! So… what do you think is going on _right now _between Tomomi and Deidara?" They stopped in their tracks.

"Do you think that they're arguing?" Konan shook her head, as a few strands of blue hair fell over her face. "No way. You _do _remember what she said this morning, right? She said she likes him."

"But what about the Hikaru thing? Deidara and that girl _did _have a thing for a while…" Konan slowly nodded.

"She lasted longer as his girlfriend than the others did," Konan concluded, rubbing the back of her neck.

"…Should we check on them…?"

"Alright," And with that, the two made their way down the hall.

* * *

"_MSN tonight?" _Gaara asked me. I chuckled. "Sure; I could use someone to talk to while I'm packing,"

"_Packing for what? Where are you going?" _I shrugged, even though he couldn't see me. "Aunt Chizu's taking us to New York on Friday. Some kind of party there."

"_Aa. Sorry, I have to go. Hall-monitor duty calls,"_

"_You_? Hall-monitor? Really?"

"Yes, me; hall-monitor; really." I laughed. "Eh, sure… I really should finish washing this crap out of my hair. Who knew half-dried vegetable smoothie could make so much tangles in your hair?"

"_Erm…Uh-huh. I'll talk to you later, ne?"_

"Sure thing."

_Click. Beep…_

I looked at the phone before slipping it in my jacket pocket. I turned the shower back on and resumed washing the sticky green smoothie out of my hair. I poured nearly a handful of _Dove _shampoo on my hand and scrubbed my hair. Lather, rinse, repeat. Scratch that, I'll nearly use up half the bottle if I repeat. I took the bar out and washed my body, making sure I was squeaky-clean.

Squeak, squeak.

I rinsed off, making sure I was free of any smoothie. Turning the shower off, I grabbed my towel and dried off. It was kind of uncomfortable drying yourself off in a humid room, if you ask me. But you didn't ask me, so why am I even telling you this stuff? I snickered at my joke, drying my hair. I slipped my underwear and skirt on, looking at Deidara's shirt. _My bra is wet and sticky with Busty Girl smoothie,_ I thought, mentally shaking my head. Then, as if some stroke of coincidental luck, I remembered packing my Akatsuki coat with me this morning. I grinned, putting Deidara's obnoxiously long shirt on. I walked out, only to find myself pushed against the wall next to the shower cell's door. Deidara. The blonde narrowed his eyes at me, smirking

"What's your problem?" I hissed. Deidara pressed himself against me. "Remember that I can take advantage of you _whenever I want_, un!" he whispered, leaning into my ear. I stiffened. "_What _is this 'Gaara' dude to you, hmm?"

"I told you already, Deidara! He's my friend, baka!"

"Liar, liar; pants on fire, yeah," I pushed him away, only to have him crashing himself on me. He was like a boomerang; an annoying as hell, blonde, womanizing boomerang. My eyes widened as a realization hit me, like Deidara's braided hair did yesterday, when I was on his Harley Davidson on the way home from Hidan's.

_I was wearing no bra._

I promptly got my kick-ass ninja on and pushed him away with all my might. Apparently, I'm strong because when I pushed Deidara, he fell on his butt. I couldn't resist snickering. Deidara glared at me, standing up to possibly attack me. I grabbed my smoothie stained clothes and ran out of the room, laughing like a retard. Deidara, to my chagrin, was able to grab my shoulder and pull me back. He grabbed my chin with his other hand and leaned in to kiss me. I grimaced, pulling away as much as I could. _What the hell is he trying to pull?_

"Oh, my Kami," Konan breathed out, surprising both of us. I took this opportunity to escape from Deidara's evil grasps and hide behind Konan and Karin, scowling at him. "I was _so _not going to kiss him, if _that's _what you're thinking!" I told my both of them, shaking their shoulders. "Wipe those smirks off your faces!" They continued grinning like idiots. Deidara smirked along. "I know you want me; you know I want cha," Deidara sang, grinning smugly at me as he motioned to his torso.

How dare he sing something out of the random!

I narrowed my eyes at him. Konan laughed, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I'm just playing, Tomomi! C'mon, where's your uniform?" I showed her my stained uniform. "It's here; I forgot my food in the locker room, though." "Aa," Konan nodded, as Karin laughed at Deidara, who was _still _singing. Apparently, he was singing 'Sexy can I', yet he couldn't refrain from adding a few _un_'s, _yeah_'s and a few _hmm_'s.

"Sexy, can I, un?" he sang, as Karin howled with laughter. Konan rolled her eyes, pulling me to the locker room. "Where you going, yeah? I'm not done serenading you, hmm!" '_Serenading' my ass, it's a song about you-know-what! It's kind of sad to see that most of the mainstream R&B music these days sung by men is dedicated to that thing between their legs called a 'boner'. _I concluded, shaking the perverse thoughts out of my head. I should never have read that Icha-Icha Paradise! It's corrupted me. Konan grabbed the bag of food and smiled at me. "I bet you're hungry, ne? C'mon; we only have another thirty minutes until lunchtime is over." I nodded, hoping my food was still warm. "Wait up!" Karin cried, as she wiped tears from my eyes.

"He's got it bad for you Tomomi." Karin said, chuckling a bit.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded, wrapping an arm around my neck.

"He _does_! Believe me," she said, smiling at me. We exited the gym and walked down the hall.

"I'm too sexy for my shirt; too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts, yeah!" I heard Deidara sing from inside the gym. Karin, Konan and I laughed, walking down the hall, practically joined at the hip.

**There you go! How was it? Did it suck? I tried to make this as good as I can. I hope this chapter was funny! Thank you to all of those who read, review, favorite and add this story to their alerts! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review! So, what was **_**your **_**favorite part? Do you think Tomomi was Mary-Sue'ish in this chapter? Was any of the canon characters OOC? Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I'd really appreciate it if **_**everybody **_**reviewed! Do you think I'll get 300+ reviews by the 30****th**** chapter? *gasps***

**P.P.S. I'm planning to make a side series to this story called **_**Konoha Academy: Student Files**_**. It has many files and biographies of the canon and OC characters in AU-style awesomeness. I've also got a few ideas cooking in my mind. NaruHina fans, look out! A one-shot may be in the works. Haha~! Thank you for reviewing, by the way!**


	26. Chapter 26: Chocolate High!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Chocolate High!

Konan, Karin and I headed in the direction of the cafeteria, staggering down the hall like drunks. Masses of my fellow peers shot us numerous 'WTF' looks. I grinned as we all chuckled at their reactions when we neared the cafeteria's glass double-doors. When we were on our way to the cafeteria, we stopped by my locker and got my Akatsuki coat and dropped my smoothie-stained clothes by the office, where it was to be washed; courtesy of principal Tsunade! It felt kind of weird to walk around in public without any 'support', if you know what I mean. I feel kind of… exposed and stuff. Karin sat at a table adjacent to our—'our' being Akatsuki—own and Konan sat next to Pein. I took an empty seat beside Kisame and opposite Sasori.

"That was f*cking awesome, b*tch!" Hidan cheered, giving me a solid whack on the back. I yelped in both surprise and pain, trying to rub the pain away. It still stung. _I'll bet his handprint will still be there by the time I get back home, _I thought, narrowing my eyes at him. "What the hell, dude?" I exclaimed, applying more pressure. What? Hidan has huge (and heavy) hands.

"You _totally _owned that whore, b*tch!" My eyes widened. "D-Did you just call me a _bitch_?" I sputtered out, as my mouth was slightly agape. Hidan smirked devilishly, crossing his arms as he looked at me dead in the eye. "Yeah, I did…B*tch,"

"W-What did _I _do to you, you-you—" To my disappointment, finding something to call Hidan was somewhat hard.

"'W-W-What d-did I do to you, you-you—'" Hidan mocked, closing his eyes in pure cockiness. I raised an eyebrow at him, trying to cool myself down. _Relax, Tomomi; you just socked a Busty Girl right in the face not too long ago— relax! _I thought, taking a deep breath. I glanced at the brown paper bag that held my food. The—I kid you not— school insignia was printed on one side in blue ink. Huh.

I took my food out, as my stomach growled. Taking the burger out of its white wrapper, I noticed that my food had already gone cold, sadly. _Does the school have microwaves? _I pondered, looking at my cheeseburger before taking a bite. I chewed in deep thought, liking the taste. _This thing is _delicious_! _I thought, taking a few more bites out of my burger. In the back of my mind, I heard a small voice saying, '_I hope the fries aren't soggy yet_,' over and over.

Deidara threw the cafeteria doors open and strutted in. Well, he didn't _literally _throw the doors open; he just pushed them open like any human being with a functional mind would. Erm, just saying.

Deidara sat beside Sasori. "Yo, Sasori-danna, my man!" Sasori raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "What do you want, brat?" Deidara turned to me, smirking. I raised an eyebrow at him. I sent him a telepathic message that said: _'What the hell?' _Sadly, Deidara's mind was too incapacitated to receive it.

Sasori turned to look at me before turning to Deidara. "Good luck with that, brat. She has quite a punch." He deadpanned, before standing up from his seat and taking his tray with him. Deidara slowly turned to me. Almost immediately, I started to feel self-conscious, partly because I wasn't wearing a bra. I continued eating, avoiding eye-contact.

"Tomomi-chan, Tomomi-chan!" Tobi exclaims, jumping up and down in his seat. I grin at him. "Yeah?" I ask. He shows me his _Milky Way _bar. "Arigato for giving Tobi a chocolate bar!" "Aa," I say, nodding at him. He turns to the _Milky Way _bar before carefully tearing its wrapper off, as if he were handling dangerous explosives. I gulp, hoping to see his face. Tobi lifts his mask up, revealing a pair of rosy lips. His pink tongue briefly darted out of his mouth and licked his lips before lifting the rest of his mask up. Everything slowed down, as my heart began to beat against my chest. Tobi slid his mask off to the side of his face, as his raven hair fell down his childish and pale face. Crimson red eyes eyed the chocolate as he smiled childishly. He bit into his chocolate, giving me a lopsided grin. I stiffened.

_Kawaii!_

I stood up from my seat as my girly teenage hormones kicked in. I rushed over to Tobi and wrapped my arms around him. "Oh my Kami, you are _so _cute!" I gushed, pinching his cheeks. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side slightly in confusion, before grinning at me, showing his white and perfectly straight teeth. "Gee, thanks, Tomomi-chan!" he said before taking another bite out of his _Milky Way _bar.

"_Why _do you even bother wearing this mask?" I queried, pinching his cheeks a little more. What? I'm a girl. A girl who likes to pinch cheeks. If Sakura had kids, I'd be one heck of an aunt.

"B-Because Tobi likes it and because Tobi's mom told Tobi to!" I nearly snorted. _If _I _had a son this cute, I wouldn't let him out of the house without a mask either. It'd be a field day for fangirls all over the school! _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back. Konan laughed, as Pein smirked. She wrapped her hand around Pein's upper arm, shaking her head as she soundlessly laughed. "Tobi's gonna get some!" Hidan jeered, promptly ruining the moment. I shot him a glare. So did Konan, Karin and Deidara. The others just smirked. Karin stood up from her seat and gave Hidan an unsuspecting whack on the head. "Ow! What was _that _for, b*tch? I'll teach you to mess with me!"

"Hidan, you better f*cking cool it," Kakuzu growled out, as Hidan sweat-dropped. The silver-haired junior turned his head to Kakuzu, who was currently counting numerous bills of money as he tucked them in a steel titanium briefcase. _I wonder how I knew it was made out of titanium… _I thought, making my way back to my seat. Maybe it's because I've got mad skillz; or maybe it's because it said **'Made out of steel titanium' **on one side. Gee, I don't know. Sense my sarcasm? You do? Good.

Deidara raised an eyebrow, scowling at me. "What?" I asked. He shook his head, standing up from his seat. "Forget it, un," he harshly said, walking away (and to a table of freshmen girls). He smirked, leaning in closer to one of the girls' faces, grinning and saying something. The freshman girl gave him a slip of paper, covering her mouth. I felt something tug at me, as I started to feel something eating at my heart. I looked at Konan and Karin, who just frowned at me. The burning feeling in the pit of my stomach ceased to desist. I sighed, shaking the thoughts of before finishing off the rest of my food. I saw my _Mars _bar at the bottom of the bag and grinned. _Finally! _I thought, practically tearing the wrapper apart. I held the bar in my hand and took a big bite, groaning at the incredibly chocolate-y taste. Why not? I've been waiting to eat this _Mars _bar since _this morning_! A lot of sh*t happened just now, so I want to enjoy my chocolate whilst I can. The sweetness of the chocolate left a sweet aftertaste only _Mars _bars could have. I grinned, jumping up and down on my seat. It was official. I, Hayashi Tomomi, am having a chocolate high. I stood up, walking (skipping) over to Tobi. "C'mon, Tobi; let's get us some more chocolate!" I said, pulling him up. He put his mask back on before vigorously nodding his head. "Tobi likes chocolate!"

I turned to the rest of the Akatsuki at the table and to Karin. "Want some chocolate?" I asked, finding myself swaying back and forth to nothing in particular. This only comes to show how retarded I act when I eat chocolate—Kami knows how I'll act when I start drinking booze! Not that I'd really drink booze, though.

_Bring! Bring!_

"Aww!" I whined, pouting at Tobi. "We have to get to class! Wait; maybe we can sneak in a bar or two in class!" I suggested, clapping my hands together. Kami, I'm acting so retarded, but I really couldn't care less. The Akatsuki and Karin gave me a look that read: 'What the hell is she on?' Not that I would blame them. I have this nagging feeling inside of me that makes me think that I'm acting like I'm on crack. And speed. And ecstasy. And marijuana.

"Ahem," I coughed, looking to the side. "Well, _that _was awkward, ne?" I said, smiling at them. I went to my seat and kept my food's wrappers in the paper bag. I turned to Konan and Karin. "Shall we roll?" I asked, grinning at them. Konan stood up and chuckled. "You are _so _weird sometimes," she said aloud, shaking her head. I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders.

_Beep!_

My ears perked up at the sound of the beep coming from the speakers. _"Attention; students: The first game of the year is today! Everyone come on down to the gym and cheer on for our Konoha Kodiacs!" _ I heard Ino exclaim in her preppy, shrill voice. I shuddered at the high-pitch.

_Beep!_

Karin held my arm. "C'mon, we've _got _to hurry! Sasuke is playing," she quickly said, pulling us into the door. I barely managed to throw my paper bag in the trash can. "Playing _what_?" I asked, bringing them to a halt. Karin raised an eyebrow at me.

"Duh; basketball!" she said, grinning at me. "Oh," I said, as she led us down the hall. "Konoha Academy has lots of sports! There's basketball, soccer, synchronized swimming—" Karin snorted to herself. "…softball and baseball!" Konan finished, smiling at us.

_So that's why the gym had a basketball court. _I concluded, mentally slapping myself for even bothering to ask.

As we neared the gym, cheers could be heard from the inside.

Huh. Smells like teen spirit.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review! I'd really appreciate it! I am **_**so, so, so **_**sorry this chapter was so short! I had a short bout of writer's block and I didn't know what to type! Anyways, Happy Valentine's Day! As you can see, I'm too much of a geek to be bothered with such stereotypical events. Instead of showing love on only **_**one **_**day, why not show it to that special someone **_**every day**_**? Valentine's nowadays are just big advertisements for merchandise. Anyways, I love you guys! Y'all are so awesome!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I'm sorry it wasn't long! It was only a filler. Don't forget to review, ne? Haha~!**


	27. Chapter 27: The Konoha Kodiaks!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The Konoha Kodiaks!

Konan, Karin and I pushed through the crowd of students, whom were trying to squeeze themselves through the gym's blue double-doors. I tripped over some random guy's foot, but luckily, my ninja-like reflexes kicked in, and I grabbed Karin's sleeve in effort to catch myself, pulling her with me. We didn't fall to the ground, though; we just wound up on the floor, doing an impression of a carpet. "Ow!" Karin cried, fumbling around for her glasses. The scenario reminded me of Velma from Scooby-Doo (I just _love _that show!). I always felt sad for her in a way because though she's the smart one, she never got to be with Fred; instead, he hooked up with Daphne, who was prettier. Daphne was _always _the damsel-in-distress, but it was Velma's smarts what solved the mystery. It's just that it doesn't seem fair that Velma is always the third of fifth wheel. During their numerous cases, Scooby had Shaggy and Fred had Daphne. But Velma? She had _nobody _to accompany her. It's so stereotypical! All the smart ladies out there need some lovin', too! Am I _right _or am I right? Who's with me, ladies—

_Ahem. _Got a little off-topic for a second, there. Moving on! Konan turned to us, probably wondered why we were on the ground. She pulled us up after Karin retrieved her spectacles, as Konan still looked slightly confused. "What happened?" Konan asked us. Karin and I sheepishly glanced at each other. "We tripped," I said, giving a small shrug. Konan grinned at us, rolling her eyes as she pulled us in the gym. Inside, numerous students were still crowding the gym. Konan brought us to the first row, which was oddly empty. The rows behind it, on the other hand, were _cramped _with students.

"Konoha Kodiaks rule!" a guy cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "Yeah!" he yelled out, directly in my ear. I shut my ears to block out the noise, instinctively wincing at the volume. On the opposing side of the gym, were Sakura and her cheerleading cronies. They all wore a blue midriff top with a Kodiak on it. In bold yellow color, 'Konoha Kodiaks' was written under said Kodiak. They all wore a short blue skirt with slight accents of yellow. My pink-haired cousin raised her shimmery yellow and blue pom-poms in the air and yelled out, "Kodiaks, let's go!" She pranced to the middle of the gym, as her cheerleader cronies followed suit.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"Deidara!" Shizune called out, walking towards him. The blonde turned to face her, not bothering to take his arm off a freshman girl's shoulder. The vice principal narrowed her eyes at him. _I knew it… _She thought, as her grip on her clipboard tightened. "What, un?" he asked, raising a single eyebrow at her.

"Tomomi forgot this in her jacket pocket," Shizune forced out, giving him a strained smile. _There he goes again! _She fumed, handing the crisp piece of paper to him. Deidara raised an eyebrow at her before warily taking it from her hand. _What's with her, yeah? _He pondered, as he watched the school's vice principal and nurse walk away, muttering something to herself. _Is she on crack, un?_

Shizune looked at her hands, as a series of thoughts flew through her mind. _I need to stop this cycle of heartbreak. _She thought, pressing her lips together. _If Deidara's womanizing spreads at a rapid rate within only a small amount of time, tens of heart-broken girls will be streaming into my office by the end of the month, _she said to herself, trying to find a way to break the cycle. This year was bound to be busier than ever, and as the academy's vice principal, she had _a lot _of work on her hands. One of the things that she could do to save her some time from listening to numerous of teary-eyed girls, retelling the same sob story over and over was to break the cycle of Deidara's womanizing. Shizune narrowed her eyes as she stopped dead in her tracks. _That girl, Tomomi… _Shizune thought to herself. _Deidara seems to have taken a liking to her. I suppose she's next in line. She's resisting him well so far, but eventually, they _all _crack…_

_**Flashback: One year ago.**_

_**Hikaru and her Busty Friends strutted down the hall, showing their identical uniforms off to the masses. Shizune watched them saunter past, as Shizune rubbed a crying girl's shoulder comfortingly. "…I-It's like he **__**didn't know I even existed!" The girl yelled out, sobbing in her hands, which caught the attention of a few nearby students. "It's okay, Mitsuki— you'll get over it," Shizune comforted the girl, offering her some **_**Kleenex**_**. **__**"N-No! I won't get over it! I **_**love **_**Deidara-kun; I love him, I love him, I love him!" she cried out, clutching her chest. Mitsuki ran a hand through her black hair, which clashed with her red face. "I-I-I don't even know what I did **_**wrong**_**, you know? We seemed so in sync with each other! I can't believe he actually broke up with me!" Mitsuki resumed crying, bringing her knees to her chest. Shizune frowned; she felt sympathetic for the girl. **_**She doesn't deserve this, **_**she thought, standing up from her seat. Mitsuki grabbed three sheets of tissue paper from the **_**Kleenex **_**box, before blowing her nose into them. Shizune placed a hand on Mitsuki's forearm. "Not so hard, Mitsuki— your nose will get irritated and blowing too hard might cause a nosebleed. I'll get you some water, ne?" The girl nodded, quietly sobbing.**_

_**The academy's vice principal moved through the academy's halls, looking at her feet. The sound of an argument echoed through the halls. Like any vice principal would do, she checked it out. Once she reached one of the halls, she saw Deidara and that girl, Hikaru.**_

"_**C'mon, Hikaru, yeah!" Deidara urged, pressing himself against Hikaru. Shizune hid by some lockers, as a look of disgust crossed her face. "No, Deidara!" she yelled out, pushing him away. "I wouldn't want to go with a disgusting, womanizing jerk like you!" she spat out, as every word dripped with venom. "I hate you, Deidara. Don't you **_**realize **_**that by now?" Yet, the blonde wouldn't quit. He slammed his palms on either side of Hikaru's head, who currently leaning against one of the lockers.**_

"_**No, you know that ain't true, hmm," he whispered, leaning into her face with half-lidded eyes. Hikaru blushed, before cupping Deidara's cheeks and hastily pressing her lips against his. They promptly started making out in the hallway, showing massive signs of PDA. Shizune frowned, turning away from them; she didn't want to see them having slight foreplay. **_**Water, **_**Shizune thought to herself. **_**I'll need to get that cup of water for Mitsuki.**

_**Flashback ends.**_

* * *

Sakura and her cronies were in a pyramid, chanting and cheering like their lives depended on it. I turned to Konan. "When were the try-outs for cheerleading?" I drawled. Konan turned to me, grinning a little. "I heard the try-outs were on Tuesday. It was pretty soon, ne? Wait—were you going to try out?" I shook my head. "Hell no! I have something better to do than prancing around in skimpy outfits. I'll bet it's a real confidence boost, though!" Konan nodded. "It's one heck of an ego boost, as well." "Damn straight," Karin, who was beside me, squeezed my arm. "Oh, Kami, I can't wait to see Sasuke play!" she breathed out, as her grip on my arm tightened, possibly cutting off my arm's blood circulatory system. A mascot of a Kodiak ran out, raising his hands upwards and encouraging everyone to stand up. We did, cheering chants of, "Konoha Kodiaks!" and "Stop, fight, roar!" I felt someone tap my shoulder and turned to see Deidara's face only less than an inch from mine. I jumped back, practically tripping over the team bench in front of us. Luckily, Konan was as quick as a cat to react, and she was able to catch me by the sleeve. I balanced myself on my other arm, glaring at him. "What the hell?" I barked, only to see a crisp piece of paper waved in front of my face. "Shizune said you forgot this in your jacket, hmm!" he drawled, tossing it on the seat before sitting by one of the freshmen girls he was with during lunch. I scowled at his retreating figure, snatching the piece of paper out of the seat. Out of curiosity, I opened it and read it.

"**Meet me on the school roof during sixth period." **It read, leaving me confused with such a cryptic note. _Who wrote it? _I thought to myself, raising an eyebrow at it. Whoever sent it, I was going to find out.

"Konoha Kodiaks!" the mascot yelled out, as a bunch of guys ran into the gym. Those I recognized were: Naruto, Sasuke, that brown-haired boy Naruto was hanging with after science class this morning, Itachi-san and—get ready for this—Hidan (what the—?). We all stood up and cheered. I noticed that one half of the players were wearing a yellow jersey, whilst the other half wore a blue jersey. It's probably a practice game or something. Hidan raised his hands up, grinning at the crowd. "Yeah! Yeah! That's it; scream my f*cking name, b*tch!" Itachi-san raised a single eyebrow at the silver-haired basketball player, as fangirls swooned over the Uchiha. I grinned, stifling a chuckle as Itachi-san nonchalantly walked past his fangirls, paying them no heed. They gasped in unison—which freaked me out, and gushed about how hot he was. He nodded at the Akatsuki, before he split off with the rest of the basketball players wearing blue jerseys. There, Gai-sensei was coaching them, telling them to 'play youthfully' on the court. On the opposing side, were Sasuke and Naruto. Anko-sensei narrowed her eyes at them, whispering something as she pointed strategies out on her clipboard. "1-2-3, Kodiaks!" the yellow team yelled, placing their hands in the middle of a circle before throwing them up.

"Look, Karin, Sasuke's actually gonna play!" I said, looking at them get ready to go on court. There was no reply. "…Karin. Karin?" I asked out again, turning to face my silent friend. Much to my surprise, Karin had passed out. _Yay for school spirit! _I lamely cheered, scratching my head. I turned to Konan. "Konan, Karin passed out!" I harshly whispered, shaking her shoulder vigorously. Konan's amber eyes widened. "Oh, Kami. Kami, let's wake her up," Konan gasped out, as I struggled to get Karin's limp arm over my shoulder like they do in those movies. "What the heck happened to her?" I asked, as my eyes displayed a look of horror and surprise. Konan's kohl-rimmed eyes flickered to the Ice King, wearing a sleeveless yellow jersey. It clashed with his hair. What? I'm just being honest. "She saw Sasuke wearing something sleeveless from this close. I bet she passed out because she saw his body," she muttered, helping me. I glanced over at Sasuke as my eyes widened a fraction. _Woah, he's got nice arms! _I thought, as my mouth was slightly agape. Konan playfully smacked me in the face. "Stop gawking, Tomomi; Sasuke is Karin's catch, remember?" she joked, earning a well-deserved whack on the back from me. "I'm not gawking! I was just surprised to see how such an anti-social bastard could have such toned arms," "Sasuke-kun…" Karin muttered, slowly gaining consciousness. Konan and I shook her awake, lightly slapping her on the face to help her wake up. "Get yourself together, man!" Konan exclaimed, sitting Karin on our previous spot. Karin's eyes snapped open, as she groaned, holding a hand to her head. "Ow, my head... What happened?"

"I was hoping you could've told us that." I deadpanned, feeling sheepish. "Kami, I don't know; I just saw Sasuke-kun and my body felt all hot and—" _Whoa, there, Karin. _"Itachi, you bastard! I'm f*cking over here, you f*cking weasel-face!" Hidan yelled out, waving his arms as Itachi-san had the ball in his possession, dribbling it at a rhythmic pace. Instead, Itachi-san turned and ran past through Sasuke and dunked the ball straight through the basket in an incredible speed. Um, wow. The crowd cheered, as Sasuke irritably glared at the said crowd. Once his eyes flickered over to Karin's, they softened by a small bit, before returning to their normal cold state. Karin nervously bit her lip, opting not to cheer for Itachi-san's win. I slowed my clapping, as I looked at her. A smile crossed my face.

_They'll end up together; I just know it._

* * *

After the game, it was sixth period. As weird as it was, I had a free period. I felt an odd feeling in my stomach that someone was watching me, but I brushed it away. I looked at the stairs and made my way up.

_Clack._

The gray metal door of the school roof creaked open as I saw a lone figure sitting there, over-looking the city. My emerald eyes widened a fraction. "Who are you?"

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review on my story. I appreciate your lovely reviews! So, how was this chapter? I added a bit of a cliff-hanger. Anyways, sorry for the slow update! I went to camp at school and slept there. It was… fun! And a definitely memorable experience. How do you think this story is going to so far? And, what's your summary on my OC, Tomomi? Anyways, I added the bit about Hikaru and Deidara's history so you could see what kind of a player he was, even then. Please review! I aim to reach 200+ reviews by this chapter, so I hope all of you review!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Thank you for all of the reviews! You're the caffeine in my coffee. Haha~!**


	28. Chapter 28: A Ghostly Encounter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

A Ghostly Encounter

I looked at the figure who was looking at the city. She wore the school uniform and she had long raven hair that cascaded down her back. Her hair gently blew with the wind. A chill crawled down my spine as my stomach felt like it was falling down a bottomless pit. I stood motionless, as she stayed in her position, looking at the city.

"I see you've come, she softly spoke in a gentle tone. "Look at the city, Tomomi; isn't it beautiful?" Her peculiar behavior made me unsure of what to do, so I furtively took a few steps next to her. I licked my lips nervously. "Who are you…?" I asked, choosing my choice of words carefully. Normally, I wouldn't be so timid with a stranger, but there was this feeling in my gut telling me that something was _very _off with her. I just couldn't place a finger on it.

"I'm Sato Mitsuki," she said, turning to me. She had icy blue eyes and sickly pale skin— she looked as if she hadn't seen the sun not once in her entire life!

"I'm sure you know me," I muttered, earning a small giggle from her. She turned to look at the city, so I did the same. Colorful and unique structures and buildings filled the lively and bustling city of Konohagakure. Numerous people walked on the streets, doing their own daily routines. Way beyond the city, was the face of a mountain. On the mountain, faces of Konoha's mayors were carved out. Konoha's mayors were _also _national heroes. On top of the mountain, was a forest; dense with flora and trees. It was—all in all—breathtaking. Mitsuki was the first to break the silence between us.

"Ne, I guess you're wondering why you're here, are you not?" She queried, as a small smile crossed her lips. I nodded, fidgeting a bit. I _still _couldn't place what was so _odd_ about her. She seems nice enough, but what's with this feeling in my gut? Did I eat my cheeseburger too fast, or something? Was the meat bad?

Mitsuki turned to me. Her eyes seemed so lifeless and cold… _What the hell? _I thought, furrowing my brows. Something was wrong here; very, very wrong. "I'm here to keep you from making the _biggest _mistake of your life," She said, looking dead-serious. My eyes widened a fraction. "'My life'?" I echoed, taking a step back. She nodded. "Whether you listen to me, or not; it's a decision that _may _not be even yours for the choosing, Tomomi; it _may _be the factor of whether you choose to live… or _not_," My heart skipped a beat. I felt as if my heart was going to jump out my chest, yet it didn't. I tried to move, but I couldn't. I was frozen, from both wanting and _not _wanting to hear what Mitsuki had to say. "Wh-what a-a-are you t-talking about? 'Whether I choose _live _or _not_'?" I sputtered out, as my hand flew to my beating chest in effort to slow down its beating lest I have a heart attack. She looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, but you _will _listen to my tale," She said. "Your tail?" I barked. _What _'tail'? She nodded, smiling at me. "The tale of how Deidara came to be the man he is now," she said, looking elegantly stoic. _Oh, she meant 'tale'; not 'tail', _I thought, inwardly sighing.

"Why are you even _telling _me this?" I asked. In her icy blue eyes, I saw a flash of red. "Because it's _definitely _for the best if you avoid him." She said, narrowing her eyes at me. "I _am _avoiding him!"

"But you're not avoiding him well enough!" she yelled, clenching her fists. I flinched, as my heart, yet again, skipped another beat. If this keeps up, I'll probably be dead. Mitsuki massaged her temples. "You should listen to the advice of Iwa no Deidara's ex-girlfriend, Tomomi."

"Hey, lady! I'm avoiding that bastard! _He's _the one hitting on _me_, so don't take it all out on one person! Don't—" Mitsuki held a hand up to silence me. "It is _not _about jealousy. It is _not _about the history Deidara and I have once shared, Tomomi. I've tried telling Hikaru, but she wouldn't heed my words. _Don't _make the fatal mistake _I _did. It's cost me _everything_," The raven-haired girl whispered, looking away. I quieted down.

After a few seconds of silence, Mitsuki spoke up. "Are you ready to her my tale?" I hesitantly nodded. "When Deidara was a little boy, he used to be quite a gentleman; helping old ladies carry their groceries, making 'I love you' cards for his mom out of the random, timidly giving daisies to girls; but one day, that _all _changed. When Deidara's mom divorced Deidara's dad, Deidara's world fell apart. That divorce was from one single cause: his dad had an adulterous affair with his ex-girlfriend. Once Deidara's parents divorced, Deidara's mom _split_, not even caring that she left her own son back in Iwa—"

"How do you _know _all this stuff?"

"Fangirls' intuition," I nodded, taking the knowledge in. "_Anyways_, Deidara had become disillusioned with the fact that _all _women are replaceable, and are just mere toys to him. He went through an angst-ridden past and became addicted to explosions. He joined anti-government renegade strikes and blew up Iwagakure's city hall without a care; he took his anger out on explosives he made himself. In his freshman year, he was expelled from Iwa's public school for blowing up the principal's car; blowing the principal up along with it." I momentarily got my cringe on. "After a lengthy time in and out of court, instead of having Deidara sent to juvy, he was banned from Iwagakure for years. His father was able to get the case files destroyed and disposed of before they relocated to Konoha. There, his womanizing spree began.

Still influenced under the lie that love doesn't exist, he broke many girls' hearts. He dated numerous girls at a time and broke up with them like they were just his little playthings. Listen to me, Tomomi; I was _naïve _back then. I thought that he'd find me _different _from all those other girls and fall for me, but I was _just like them_. He broke my heart over the phone without a care. I gave my _heart _to him, Tomomi; I really did," I glanced up at Mitsuki as a crystalline tear rolled down her cheek. "That was when I found out he left me—and a handful of other girls—for Hikaru. Hikaru wasn't the typical fangirl then, you know? She absolutely _loathed _him, with all her being. Only, Deidara _loves _girls who play hard-to-get. Hikaru was _nothing _but a prize in his eyes; he did _everything _he could to win her, impress her. She resisted, but in the end, all of her efforts became futile. She _cracked_; and at _that very moment_, she became a foolish mush; a plaything."

"So what does this have to do with _me_?"

"There've been _so _many girls who've had their hearts broken by him. He's pursuing _you _now, so you have to avoid him _at all costs_." I scoffed. "Just a while back, he was hitting on some freshmen girls,"

"…That was to make you _envious_. Like I said; in _his _eyes, _all _women are nothing but petty and replaceable toys! You _must _avoid him, Tomomi."

"He's _that _bad?" Mitsuki nodded. "Don't make the same mistake I did, Tomomi; you'll regret it." She turned to walk back inside, but she abruptly stopped. "I'm only telling you _once_, Tomomi; don't say I didn't warn you," she said, walking back inside. I ran after her to the stairwell, only to find that she was nowhere to be found.

"Mitsuki?" I called out as I walked into the hallway. It was desolate and quiet.

_What did she do that made her feel so regretful? _I asked myself, making my way down the hall.

Xxx

_Meanwhile…_

Shizune treaded down the soft green grass, with a bouquet of hand-picked flowers in hand. She nervously bit her lip as the memories came flooding back in. _I didn't get to save her, _she thought, as a tear rand down her porcelain cheek. She stopped in front of the gravestone and knelt down. She placed the flowers in front of the grave, clasped her hands together and muttered a prayer. Shizune traced a finger on the embossed stone that read: **"Sato Mitsuki" **It pained her the way she say Mitsuki die, yet she couldn't do anything about it.

_**Flashback: One year ago.**_

"_**Mitsuki! Where are you?" Shizune called out, looking for the young student. Her eyes drifted to the girls' comfort room door and she contemplated with whether to look for her inside or not. Mitsuki was still troubled from the breakup and she often locked herself in the comfort room's stalls.**_

**Clack.**

_**Shizune walked in, searching around the room. "Mitsuki?" she called out, checking in every stall. There was no answer from the only stall presently locked in the corner of the room. Normally, Mitsuki would mutter a 'Here,' or a 'Shizune-san,' from inside, but none of those were heard. Shizune decided to walk out until a trail of deep red blood trailing from inside of the stall caught her eye. She dropped everything she was carrying in complete haste and banged her fists on the comfort room stall. "Who's inside? What's going on? Open up!" she cried out, only to hear a strained "Shizune-san," from inside. Shizune's eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat. "Mitsuki, open up! What's happening?" Shizune demanded, banging the door.**_

"_**Shizune-san, I… can't," Mitsuki weakly whispered as more blood trailed out of the stall, pooling themselves in the crevices between the tiles. Shizune knelt to the ground, trying to see Mitsuki's state. Shizune nearly screamed in shock. Mitsuki leaned against the wall, as a trail of blood seeped out of her mouth. Numerous cuts and slits were found on her wrists, both deep and raw. Mitsuki's once lively icy blue eyes looked lifeless and gray. Blood pooled around Mitsuki, as Shizune tried in vain to open the door. A ghost of a smile crossed Mitsuki's lips. "Gomenasai, Shizune-san. Please tell mother and father I love them…" the raven-haired girl whispered, as her eyes grew droopy.**_

"_**No, Mitsuki! Stay awake!" Shizune cried out, on the verge of bawling. She was watching a student who was like a daughter to her, **_**die**_**, yet she couldn't do **_**anything **_**about it. Shizune pulled her phone out and pressed Tsunade's number in. "Answer, answer, answer!" Shizune cried out, slamming her fists against the stall's door. "I'm so tired, Shizune-san," Mitsuki whispered, before taking her last breath. She fell to the ground, dead. On her left arm, **__"I loved him"__**, engraved in her flesh. Shizune shook with fear.**_

"_**Hello?" she heard Tsunade groggily drawl. But Shizune couldn't speak. She couldn't blink, she couldn't even **_**breathe**_**. A piercing scream escaped her lips, as she hugged her knees to her chest.**_

_**Flashback ends.**_

Shizune sat on the grass, looking at the gravestone. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you," she weakly whispered, placing her hand on the grave. She stood up and made her way back to her car. The memory of her student's death was still vivid in her mind.

Death is something so common to us in the news; stories. You could hear about the death of a famous celebrity and not shed a tear for them. But, once someone you've dedicated your time to bleeds their life away and you can't do anything about it, the memory haunts you. It's a weigh on your back that never goes away. It's the regret; it's the sorrow; it's the pain. It never leaves you alone, until you consider death to be a good thing to put it to sleep.

So, they take their own life, not considering what people around them would feel.

How would _you _feel if your student died before your very eyes? And the guilt you feel; it _overwhelms _you. _Knowing _why they were depressed, _knowing _what their problem was. Nobody wouldn't really make anything out of it because 'it's just a breakup'. Nobody ever truly knows how someone is truly hurting inside. They could be all smiles, but inside, _their life is falling apart_.

A tear rolled down Shizune's cheek as she drove to school, for she had some papers to check.

_I'm sorry._

**How was it? Did it suck? This is actually my first attempt at making something descriptive, so I hope you give me your opinion on that. I updated early because I'll be putting this story on temporary hiatus. I've final exams this week, so I'll need to study hard, ne? Thanks to those who reviewed!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Thank you to all of those who reviewed!**

**P.P.S. I'll probably update by the middle of next month. I'll see you then, ne?**

**P.P.P.S. Gee whiz, I **_**hope **_**I get 200+ reviews… Care to help? Haha~**


	29. Chapter 29: iHyperventilate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

iHyperventilate

I walked down the empty hallway, as a chill crawled down my spine. Something still seemed off. I paused dead in my tracks, daring not to move a single muscle. _There it is, _I thought, as my eyes widened a fraction. _There's that feeling I get like someone is watching me. _After a moment of silence, I wasted no time in running down the hall, trying to keep myself from screaming. _Why did the hallway have to be empty? _I thought, as my pace quickened. Just I was about to turn the corner—

_Thud!_

—my clumsy self _had _to run into someone, _face first_. "Ow! Gomenasai," I muttered under my breath, rubbing my nose. It's probably flat now, for all _I _care. "Oh! Kami, I'm so sorry," I heard a familiar voice say. I glanced up to see Akihiro, putting his glasses on. Once he regained focus, his eyes widened. "Tomomi!" he exclaimed, standing up as he offered a hand to help me. I took it gratefully, grinning at him. He ran a hand through his floppy black hair. "Kami, you came! And I _actually _kept you waiting! Kami, I feel like such a jerk," He muttered to himself, as I raised an eyebrow at him. His chocolate brown eyes flickered over to mine. "Here," he said, bringing a deep red rose out from behind him and handing it to me. I blushed, as I consciously took it from his hand. "W-Why are you giving this to me?" I asked, fingering the rose's silky petals. He grinned at me and gave a nonchalant shrug. "I don't know. I just feel like it, I guess. Plus, when is it a crime for a guy to give a girl flowers?" I nodded, grinning at him. "Thanks, Akihiro." I said, chuckling a bit. "So, what're you doing in these parts?" I drawled, as we walked down the hall. He chuckled, "Funny, funny; didn't you already know?" I turned to him.

"Know what?" He looked sheepish.

"You know; know that _I _left you that note in your locker." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure?" I asked, furrowing my brows at him. He nodded. "As sure as the sky is blue, m'am," he drawled, placing his hands behind his head. "It's not _always _blue. It's white, it's gray, it's orange…" I replied, looking at my feet, trying to resist a grin from appearing on my face. "Haha, very funny," He deadpanned, smirking at me. I dug my hands into my pockets.

"You're not as bad as you normally seem to be, Akihiro." I said, giving him a goofy grin. He kicked up non-existent dust from under his feet and shrugged. He stopped in front of a brown door, giving me an apologetic look. "Eh, I guess this is my stop. I think I'll have to explain myself to Kurenai-sensei to why I took so long in the comfort room," I chuckled. "Good luck with _that_, dude." He nodded, before slipping in.

"Akihiro, what took you so long?" I heard Kurenai-sensei boom from inside. I couldn't help but snicker, as I walked down the hall. I turned a corner and saw Deidara leaning against the lockers, giving me a disapproving look. I nearly jumped a foot back, seeing him there. It's like he was… waiting for me.

Which he probably was. Waiting for me, I mean. "You _actually _went to meet that sh*t, hmm?" he barked, narrowing his eyes at me. I stood there, frozen. What do you expect? I've just received the prospect of finding out that Deidara blows people up. "What's _with _you, un?" he asked, with slight concern in his tone to why I didn't give a snarky retort back. So, being the calm, cool, collected person I was (yeah, right), I casually sauntered up to him.

LOL JK, I ran away, clapping a hand over my mouth lest I inadvertently screech out, "He's a _murderer_! Holy _sh*t_, he blew up his _principal_, for Kami's sake!" and attract the attention of my fellow teachers and peers.

"What the hell, yeah?" he demanded, jogging up to catch up with me. I picked up my pace, hoping that I'd lose him. Unfortunately, my body was deemed to be too slow to outrun a murderer. He firmly placed his hands on my shoulders and slightly slammed me against the lockers. His icy blue eye locked with mine and I averted my eyes to the ground, breathing heavily from all the running I did. I probably ran around the school in circles. "Why the hell did you run away from me, Tomomi?" he asked. Being the idiot I was, I stepped on a bomber's foot and kicked his shin. "What the _f*ck _is with you?" he growled out. I pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You've _killed _people before, Deidara!" I choked out, as I felt a tightening sensation in my chest. He sadistically smirked. "Yeah, I have, un. What's it to you, yeah?" I narrowed my eyes at him as I felt something constricting my lungs, keeping me from breathing properly.

"You've ended their _lives_! Haven't you ever _considered _about their family? You _f*cking blew them up_, you—Oh, Kami," I gasped out, as my hand instinctively flew to below my ribcage and press it slightly. I inhaled and exhaled heavily; trying to regain the breath I was losing more of than gaining. Deidara's visible eye widened. "You're _hyperventilating_, yeah!" Yet, I couldn't look at him. I couldn't speak, for my mouth had suddenly gone dry. He took a step forward, but before he neared me anymore, I managed to wheeze out, "S-Stay away from me!" My vision became distorted and blurry, and I felt my body lose control and lost my balance.

"For the love of—damn it, Tomomi!" I heard Deidara growl out, catching my fall. I felt my feet being lifted off the ground as I lost consciousness, feeling as if I were falling, down a bottomless asylum of nothingness.

* * *

Deidara carried her, by leaning her back on his left arm and swiftly using his right arm to swoop under her legs, carrying her up. Her _entire _body was limp, like Itachi's hair. _She's out, all right, _Deidara grumbled, making his way to the clinic. Not only was this an inconvenient situation, he was also _very _pissed off. How _dare _Akihiro hit on Tomomi after Deidara just successfully got the digits of a group of whiny, naïve freshmen and ditch Tomomi? Sense the sarcasm? Good. Although Deidara wasn't really into those freshmen, he felt like he was _actually _interested in a certain unconscious redhead. (Gee, I wonder who?) His blue orbs flickered over to Tomomi and the corner of his lip quirked into a lopsided frown. _I _can't _possibly like this annoying chick, yeah! It's _impossible_, hmm! She's crazy, bossy excuse for a girl who's hard to talk to, yeah. _Deidara thought, though that last thought didn't seem to be true. Truth be told, Deidara actually had a liking for the redhead's spit-fire persona; he was just too much of a womanizing, egotistical bastard to even admit it in the privacy of his thoughts. He's just _that _cocky.

_Clack._

Deidara hastily kicked the clinic door closed, once he finally opened it. Normally, he wouldn't have such a problem about carrying women, mainly (_only_) because they were conscious, clinging on to him and ready to get it on._ Nymphomaniacs; troublesome, they are. They _always _get clingy and annoying after a while. _Deidara concluded, mentally patting himself on the back. He gently set Tomomi on the cardboard-like bed lest she hits her head, wake up and beat him to a pulp, though it wasn't likely. The Iwa native turned to the sink and filled a small stainless steel bowl with water. He took a small white towel from one of the drawers by the sink and submerged the cloth in the water. Once it was fully soaked, he squeezed the excess water out and folded it into a rectangular shape. His gaze drifted to the unconscious girl's form. Fiery red hair fanned out across her pale face, as she lay there, motionless. Her chest slowly rose upwards and downwards as she took simple breaths.

Deidara brushed Tomomi's hair away from her face and placed the cloth on her forehead. The blonde furrowed his mind as the train of thoughts ceased to desist as he sat by her on the cot. _How did she know about 'that' _('that' being his past)_, yeah? Wait a second, _why _am I _even _nursing to this annoying loser? _His blue orb drifted over to Tomomi. _Do I actually _like _her…? _He frowned, slightly disappointed with himself. _Why would I like her, hmm? _Deidara mused to himself, smirking as he expected to receive no answers. Much to his chagrin, his mind started to automatically tick off what Deidara liked about her, but is _too _much of a commitment-phobic, womanizing jerk to admit. _First thing is her _hair_, yeah! Then, there are her music skills; and, her spit-fire personality—although sometimes I feel like kicking her in the shin for annoying me so much, un. Wait, what the hell was _that_, hmm? Kami, I'm turning into a sissy! _All _because of _her_, yeah! _Deidara promptly narrowed his eyes at Tomomi, even though she didn't even _do _anything. _I do _not _like that annoying brat, un._

But what did you do in the locker room during lunch, Deidara? BMS-ing much? Jeez.

"Ugh," Tomomi groaned out, but since Deidara was so perverted, his perverted mind registered this as a moan. Just because 'moan' and 'groan' rhyme, it _doesn't _mean they have the same meaning! The redhead groaned in pain, for sleeping on the school cot's pillows felt like sleeping on a sack of rocks, if not worse. Deidara slightly blushed at the noise.

* * *

_What the hell? _I thought to myself, feeling around for my surroundings. I felt cloth underneath me. What am I lying on, bricks? I sat up, only to find my face less than an inch apart from Deidara's. "Aah!" I instinctively shrieked, as my hands flew to my mouth. It was _him_. A piece of damp cloth fell on my lap as I backed away from him, prompting Deidara to raise a single eyebrow at me and give me a look that read, 'WTF'. "What the f*ck, yeah?" he asked, leaning towards me. _Oh, my Kami, he's going to _kill _me! _I thought, as my mind was currently frazzled. Bottom-line is, after the _wonderful _revelation I've received from Mitsuki regarding _him_, I was now a paranoid, high-strung hypocrite. Cool (yeah, right). We sat there in an awkward silence.

"How did you know, hmm?" Deidara quietly asked, with no hint of menacing evil in his tone. My stiff posture slightly loosened, but not by a lot. "S-Someone told me; I'm not telling you _whom_." I answered, slightly concerned about Mitsuki's being if he knew Mitsuki told me this. He nodded, before turning to look me dead in the eye. "You know, I won't hurt you, un." I nearly scoffed.

"Prove it,"

"Just look at it this way: if I _wanted _to kill you, I would've blown you up a long time ago."

"Gosh, how 'assuring'. Thanks, Deidara," I sarcastically replied, as more of the stiffness wore off. He smirked, chuckling a bit. Deidara leaned in closer to me. "You're such a loser, yeah," he whispered, before pressing his lips to my damp forehead. I blushed, as a slight feeling of guilt crept up inside of me, because at _that _moment, keeping away from Deidara didn't seem as easy as I thought. I sent a telepathic apology to Mitsuki, for possibly not being able to keep my word. I furrowed my brows as Deidara pulled away, slightly smiling at me. It was a perfect clichéd moment—like the one you see in romance novels—until Deidara had to ruin it.

"Does this mean you have a crush on me?"

_Whack!_

"Ow! What the _f*ck _was _that _for, you little—"

"No, Deidara. I do not have a crush on you." _Lie._

"Well, do you _love _me, then?" _Kami, I _hope _not._

"Don't get your hopes up."

"I just _kissed _you, yeah!" _Yeah, I know. I was there when it happened._

"Like I said; don't get your hopes up."

"You're too damn hard to please, hmm," _'Please'? Did he just _say _what I think he just said?_

"_What _did you just say?"

"I said, 'why don't you like hard cheese?'." _Liar, liar; pants on fire!_

"No, you didn't,"

"Oh,_ yes _I _did_,"

"No, you _did not_,"

"Are you _deaf_? Clean your ears. There's a can of Q-tips over there, by the shelf. Get one, shove it in your ear and clean it, yeah."

"You know what?" I asked, grinning at him. He grinned back. "What, un?" I flipped him off.

"_F*ck _you," I growled out, raising up another middle finger, and making a cross with it, as if telling him to go away through 'modern sign language' (yeah, right). Deidara narrowed his eyes at me, before smirking devilishly.

"On second thought, maybe blowing you up _isn't _such a bad idea, yeah—"

"Oh, _no _you don't! Don't you _dare_, you little—"

"How many times to I have to tell this to you, un? I'm bigger than you, hmm."

"Shut up!"

"Aw, don't get all emotional, Tomomi! I know you're on your 'time of month', but if you could just cool—" I hit him upside the head. He heaved a sigh.

"There go a few hundred brain cells, Tomomi. Thanks, yeah; I'm glad you 'care', hmm,"

"No, thank _you_. I'd be glad to 'help', anytime!"

"I just bit my tongue. Can you 'help' me and kiss it to make it feel better?"

"No, not even if your life depended on it,"

"I should've just let you fall face-first in the middle of the hallway, yeah. I should've just _left _you there, unconscious, hmm! I bet it'd be a laugh. Everybody would think you're stoned—" This earned Deidara another hit.

"If you hit me again, I _swear_ I will blow you up!" I stiffened, as he began to laugh. He ruffled my hair. "Just kidding, you Tomomi," I nearly sighed in relief. "—or _am _I?" he added, making me stiffen once again. I slapped his hand away, running a hand through my hair in effort to fix it.

_Oh, Deidara. Words can't describe how much I want to sock you in the face right now._

I felt something inside my jacket. I opened it up and saw the rose Akihiro gave me. A smile crossed my lips, as I pulled it out. 'How did it get there?' you ask? I guess I shoved it in my jacket whilst I was running away from Deidara in pure terror. Thank Kami there aren't any thorns. If there were… Ouch. Deidara noticed the rose and narrowed his eyes at it, as if he were trying to imitate Superman and emit rays from his eyes. I can practically see the rays of pure anger focusing on the rose. "I'm gonna blow him up, yeah," he muttered to himself, before his gaze (glare) drifted to mine. He sweat-dropped as I shot him the most terrifying, angry, pissed-off look I could muster. _Don't you dare, _I sent him a telepathic message, wondering if he was smart enough to receive it. Kami, I bet that even _Tobi_ would get the hint. "What? I was _kidding_, hmm! Can't women take a joke?" He demanded, looking slightly sheepish. I couldn't help but snicker.

_Yeah, I _thought _so_. Deidara scowled at me, hitting me upside the head.

_Whack!_

"Ow! What was _that_ for?"

"It's about time you lose some of your brain cells, un. I like smart women, but not to the point to where they become smartasses, hmm."

"I'll bet all of the women you've been with were smart," He smirked, not knowing the rest of my snarky remark. "...Until you've had too much 'rough sex' (Ew.) with them and killed all of their brain cells off. So, basically, you f*cked them stupid."

"I hate you, un,"

"Aw, how nice!"

I smirked, reigning as the winner of the argument thanks to my quick wits. I mentally pat myself on the back as Deidara, yet _again_, attempted to hit my head.

"Let's see how _you _like losing brain cells, yeah!" I snickered devilishly, dodging away from him. "Stay still, or I'll show you what it's like to be blown up into a million pieces, hmm. It's... _fleeting_," Deidara breathed out, getting slightly starry-eyed. "That _one single moment_, there for a split second, until it's gone forever. I should show you sometime, yeah."

"Uh... okay."

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review; I'd really appreciate it! I hope this chapter was in-character and enjoyable. Was it funny? I tried~! Anyways, I **_**guess **_**this story can **_**never **_**be on hiatus for that long! I appreciate you guys too much to make y'all wait! But, on another topic: how was ze kiss? Was Deidara OOC? And, **_**thank you so much **_**for the reviews! It's made me **_**so **_**happy! You guys are **_**awesome**_**.**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Is the story running smoothly? Anyways, what's your favorite chapter so far and why?**

**P.P.S. I guess you guys are just too awesome; you make me feel guilty for not updating. So that's why I updated. Haha~! Anyways, I can also use some of your suggestions, ne? Sorry it was so short! I intended to make this a filler. To fill you up. Lawl, that was lame, ne? Don't forget to review!**


	30. Chapter 30: Deidara's Hair

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Deidara's Hair

Deidara and I were engulfed by an awkward silence as we sat on the stiff white cot. I felt the thin, white bedcover in my fingers as my emerald orbs darted throughout, scanning the room. The white-walled clinic was small, but it still managed to fit six white cots, with three on one side, and the other three opposing them. Beside the cot opposite mine was a small oak desk with piles of paper neatly stacked and placed in clear boxes. Adjacent to it was a counter with a stainless steel sink and next to it was a brown cupboard, containing various medical tools, brown glass bottles, white plastic bottles and such.

"Ow!" I cried out as Deidara inconspicuously managed to jab my side with his finger. My lips curled downwards into a pout as I stood up from my seat. "What was _that _for?" I demanded, rubbing my side. A smirk crossed his lips, "Are you ticklish, hmm?"

Raising an eyebrow at his random question, I warily backed away from the blonde. I am, unfortunately, _very _ticklish. There were many countless times where Gaara has mercilessly tickled me to the very point that I couldn't _breathe_. Deidara's teal gaze locked with mine as his smirk widened.

"You _are _ticklish, aren't you?" he playfully teased, standing up from the stiff cot. My hand subconsciously felt for my butt, wondering if it had flattened from sitting on the thing for so long. Thankfully, my butt remained the way it was; I'm… _not _sure if I want to go into details about my booty.

_Bring! Bring!_

I nearly sighed in relief, "N-No, of _course _I'm not ticklish! Oh, look; the bell rang. Well, I'm going to be on my merry way, now. Later," I said, chuckling nervously. The blonde gave me a look as he pulled the red hair tie out of his long golden locks. Dandelion yellow hair cascaded down his back and over his broad shoulders.

"What's your next class, hmm?" he queried, running a hand through his silky blonde hair. There was something about Deidara's hair that I _kind of _liked. It looked so soft, and so golden, he could've passed off as a hair product model. I bet he uses the best of the best hair care products just to make it just the way it is. To be honest, I actually kind of _envied _him for his hair. He has really nice hair. It's a surprise that he never gets it tangled because I have _never _seen comb it. But then again, it's his hair that makes him look so feminine.

Don't tell anyone, but; I want to play with Deidara's hair. I bet I can make it into a pretty good afro. Just give me a few thousand tiny curlers, rubber bands and hairspray and _I'll _do the rest, ne?

"Are you _deaf_, hmm? Answer me, un," Deidara barked, shaking his head slightly. I gave a casual shrug and said nonchalantly, "I have home economics; I've got to go," I turned to take my leave. My hand was about to reach for the doorknob before I paused. "What's yours?" I asked, turning to him. The blonde had the red hair tie between his teeth as he bunched up handfuls of his hair into his famed Half-Ponytail™. Well, I'm not exactly sure if he's actually famed for that, but you get the point.

Do you?

Deidara's visible teal orb locked with my own green ones. "I 'ave 'ishtory wif Gai, yah," he said as his words were muffled by his hair tie. I gave him a nod before slipping out of the room. My fellow peers streamed in from their classes, pouring in hallway. In my mind, I was currently occupied with the thoughts of Deidara sporting an afro, doing those silly 70's dances in those _ridiculous _white and funky purple suits with bell-bottomed pants. You could only imagine my state. My face had reddened as I struggled to keep myself from laughing my ass off.

I mean, really! Imagine _Deidara_, the school's playa', dancing to 'YMCA' donning an afro. And as he danced, _that very afro_ would bob back and forth to the beat. I can even imagine a few small combs stuck in his hair. If the guy actually _had _and afro, he'd probably be a few feet taller. And when I say 'few feet taller', I mean 'half his height'.

Seeing all of these students sparked a _much _unexpected urge to listen to this song by Escape The Fate. "The situations are irrelevant now. She loves the way that I tease; I like the way that she breathes. I touched her 'ooh'; She touched my 'aah'," I timidly sung under my breath, hoping nobody heard that last part. It'd be so embarrassing! Bobbing my head to the beat, my right hand began to strum along to the music, currently blasting itself in my head.

Suddenly, I missed rocking out with Temari and the guys. _Note to self: Rock out with the band, _I noted, mentally patting myself on the back. Once it's Monday, I'll _finally _have my guitar in my hands! I missed it; _a lot_. Because I'm listening to such a rocking song, I wanted to rock out along; headbang to the music and play the riff during that last verse! My hands ached to feel the wire stings at its tips.

My emerald orbs drifted off to my right hand, strumming to the music. It looked like my hand was having a seizure. I promptly stopped, clenching my fists. After a few more moments of walking, I spotted the home economics room. The smell of baked sweets attacked my nose as my stomach instinctively growled.

_Clack._

I entered the room, seeing many of the students in the class before take their pastries out. As I scanned the room, I saw Hidan take one straight out of the tray and shove it in his mouth.

"F*ck, my f*cking tongue!" Hidan yelled out, spitting the pastry into the trash bin, located by their group's counters. The room was yellow and sunny-looking, with a total of eight white counters for making food. On each end of the counter was an electric stove. In one corner of the room were a sink and a rack for dishes. The teacher, who was grading the food, shook her head disapprovingly at Hidan. A chuckle escaped my lips, looking at the teacher who was currently lecturing Hidan on proper etiquette.

* * *

"Ow! I cut myself!" Ino cried, clutching her finger. Ayame-sensei arranged us into eight groups and, unfortunately, I was in the same group as Ino for the rest of the term and made us wear these white aprons. Shaking my head slightly, I resumed slicing the carrots. Ayame-sensei was having us make fresh spring rolls and we had an array of fresh vegetables on the counter that needed to be cleaned and prepared. Ino pouted at her finger as a drop of dark red blood slid down her hand. Ayame-sensei walked over to us and pulled a band-aid out of her apron. "Here you go," Ayame-sensei kindly said, smiling at the blonde. Ino couldn't resist but smile back before walking to the sink to wash the blood off.

The teacher gave a brief once-over our progress. "Naruto, you should handle the knife with more care; you could hurt yourself like Ino just did," Ayame-sensei said, wagging her finger at him. The blue-eyed boy exclaimed, "But I _am_, -ttebayo!"

Ayame-sensei shook her head. "No, you mustn't handle the knife so loosely. Plus, when you cut the spring onions, you don't slice them _one by one_. That costs a lot of time and it's pretty much pointless; you should just them in bunches, like this," she said, taking a bunch of spring onions. She held the knife tightly and neatly chopped them in a matter of seconds and scraped them into a small glass bowl.

"Aa, I get it, I get it," Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders. She gave him a pat on the back, "If you _actually _do a good job on this, I'll treat you to a bowl of ramen, ne?" A smile crossed my lips as I watched them; they must be close.

Ino came back with a neatly bandaged finger. We resumed cutting the vegetables whilst Ino opted to peel the shrimp and get them ready to steam. A steel pot was on the stove, filled with water and boiling. "I never knew you could cook," I commented, shrugging my shoulders. With the way Ino normally acts, I'd have expected her to avoid cooking like the .plague, but I guess I was wrong.

"My mother used to be a chef," she muttered under her breath, expertly chopping and peeling the shrimps with ease. I nodded, turning to my vegetables. That, my friend, was the end of our conversation. She certainly didn't leave room for any more small chat.

* * *

By the time class was over, we were just wrapping up our spring rolls. Naruto and this girl named Kyoko were in charge of clearing and cleaning whilst Ino, this guy named Sai and I were rushing in effort to finish wrapping our spring rolls in time. The other groups had finished with their already and some were handing in theirs to the teacher while the rest added finishing touches.

"Hurry up! Everybody else is sending theirs in. And here _we _are, still wrapping the rolls up!" Ino growled out, neatly tucking vegetables in. Between her manicured fingers was a piece of shrimp. She placed it on the vegetables and hastily wrapped the roll up.

"Where's the plate?" she demanded. I motioned to the glass plate on one end of the counter. "Chill, it's right over there," I say, handing it to her. I placed my roll on it neatly and clapped my hands.

"Finally," I exclaimed, cracking my knuckles. Sai, who had very pale skin and jet black hair, gave me a smile. The way he smiled slightly made me feel uncomfortable, but he was still quite attractive, nonetheless.

Is it me, or are half the guys in this school good-looking? I'm not that boy-crazy, but with all of the guys here, it'd be hard _not _to be.

After helping Naruto and Kyoko clean up, I washed my hands and walked out into the hall. _It's time to go home with Sakura, _I thought, furrowing my brows. Stopping by my locker, I grabbed my backpack and slammed the blue locker shut. "Hey, Tomomi," I heard Karin say as she drifted to my side from out of nowhere. "Hey, Karin," I reply, grinning at her. The cerise-eyed girl slid her black glasses off and shook her bangs out of her eyes and slid them back on. "I heard you and Deidara made out in the clinic," she deadpanned, giving me a devious look. My emerald eyes widened to the size of saucers, because I'm pretty sure if they were the size of dinner plates, it'd be overreacting.

"_What_? No! He and I were _not _making out! The fu—Who said that?" I sputtered out, throwing my bag over my shoulder. "I heard it from some girl… Oh, don't worry, though; I _totally _told them something that threw her _way_ off-track," Karin 'reassured', giving a simple wave of her hand.

I gulped, "What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing much; I just told them that you slammed your thumb in your locker door and by _some miraculous coincidence_, the guy was there. When she asked me how I knew, I just told her you IM'ed me saying you were in the clinic stuck with an idiot because of what happened to your thumb. But she _totally _said she overheard Deidara saying that he just kissed you or something like that, but that _can't _be true, right? I mean, even though I know you and Dei are, like, into each other, you would have _never_ let him do that, right? And, Deidara just hit on that freshman, Aiko, during lunch…" I tuned Karin's ramblings out, seeing the school's front double-doors.

The bespectacled girl lightly slapped me on the face repeatedly, "Don't zone out on me, Tomomi. I'm not done with my rant yet!" I chuckled as we exited the school.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review; I like reviews. Anyways, I guess this story really **_**did **_**wind up on slight hiatus. I've been trying to improve my sentences to make them less choppy and during that time, I had a **_**very **_**bad case of writer's block. Plus, I've discovered Escape The fate, blessthefall and Black Veiled Brides, which temporarily knocked my drive out for almost a week. I still haven't gotten all of my 'mojo' (lmfao) back, so I hope you can bear with me. I'm slightly disappointed with the outcome of this chapter and I apologize if it sucked/is not funny/ is cliché/ short. I really tried, but my mind was nothing but a big jumbled mess. And—Yay!— this is the 30****th**** chapter! Just to set things straight, this is **_**not **_**the end of the story, mostly because it hasn't even reached a week in the story. People don't necessarily hook up in less than a week, so. Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Condolences to those in Japan and to those who have relatives in Japan! I hope there are many survivors amongst those who were caught in the earthquake and tsunami.**

**P.P.S. I've started a new fanfic called 'Out Of This World!' and it'll be a Gaara/OC, so stay tuned!**


	31. Chapter 31: Shopping with Sakura

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Shopping with Sakura

"Where the heck is Konan?" Karin asked, looking around the area as she clung onto my upper arm. I gave a small shrug, trying to find Konan in the crowd of students, either trying to get out or shoving their selves in. I stumbled with Karin as we went down the school's pavement steps, trying to avoid stepping any feet or getting our own feet stepped on. "How am _I _supposed to know?" I answered, avoiding this guy's foot.

After a moment's struggling, we fell back in the green grass by the walkway. "Aah!" Karin cried out, standing up in a rush and turning around to inspect her butt. "Ah, Tomomi, help! Is it stained or wet or something?" She asked, holding the edge of her blue plaid skirt. I stood up, dusting my skirt off.

"Chill, Karin," I nonchalantly say. "Your skirt is perfectly fine. What the heck is there on the grass to stain it anyway?" Karin neared in and whispered, "_Dog poop_. That Inuzuka Kiba _always _sneaks his dog in school! Trust me, Tomomi; it is a _total _violation of school conduct." _I never knew you cared about conduct, Karin._

"Hey, guys! Over here!" We heard a familiar voice called. Guess who we turned to see? I'll give you a hint; this person has blue hair and has a slight obsession with folding paper when bored.

"What do you want, Suigetsu?" Karin asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Want to go grab some pizza with us?" Suigetsu said as he motioned to Juugo, who curtly nodded at us. Karin glanced at me inquiringly. I nodded at her, as if telling her to go. "Sure…" Karin said, walking toward Suigetsu.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tomomi," she said, giving a small wave. I nodded, grinning at her. I watched her jog over to Suigetsu, waving her arm at them.

"Who's gonna treat?" I heard her yell out as a chuckled found its way through my lips.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Where's Karin going to?" Konan said, as if she were out of breath. I turned to her, grinning, "She's just grabbing pizza with them,"

"She is _so _one of the boys whenever she's with them," I nodded in agreement, "Where _were _you?" I asked, giving her shoulder a playful punch. The blue-haired girl shrugged. "I was busy helping Kurenai-sensei keep some work sheets. I just gave her a hand; that's all,"

Konan, in my opinion, looked like a fancy-schmancy model with her amber kohl rimmed eyes with shimmery midnight blue eye-shadow, pale complexion, high cheekbones and pale lips. Her hair, styled in a neat bun, had a small origami flower in it. She looked elegant in the school uniform the way she wore it, too! She wore her blue plaid skirt by wearing it high-waist and tucked her clean white dress shirt and her bow was tied neatly, making her look like the perfect student. She slung her black leather book bag over her shoulder. "C'mon, let's hang out with the gang," she said, grinning at me.

"Actually, Konan," she turned to me, raising a questioning eyebrow at me. "I have to go home with Sakura. I got home pretty late last night, and Aunt Chizu made me go home in the limo with Sakura," I explained, feeling sheepish. She grabbed my hand and gave it a brief squeeze.

"Then let's say goodbye to the guys, then!" she said, pulling me down the sidewalk as we made our way to the school parking lot beside the school. We ran, spotting the rest of the Akatsuki by their respective cars. "Well, we're here; later, Konan," I jokingly said the moment we got there, waving her goodbye. Let's just say her reaction was quite the opposite of what I had meant it to be.

"Sure thing; see you tomorrow!" Konan said, with no sarcasm whatsoever in her tone. The chick was serious. My jaw dropped slightly at the response as I chuckled in disbelief. "Uh, Konan, I was _kidding_. Why would I want to go home _early_?"

Her lips quirked into a pout as she pointed behind me, "Maybe because there's a limo, _right behind you_,"

_Beep! Beep!_

A high-pitched shrieked escaped my lips as I was honestly unaware that I was standing in the middle of the road like an idiot. Running to the side of the road with Konan, the limo drove forward, with the passenger door stopping in front of me. The black tinted window rolled open and I saw Sakura's figure looking out of the other window. "Get in," I heard her say, with some kind of fatigue in her tone. I slid in the limo, waving goodbye at Konan. She waved back, grinning at me.

We drove off, as Sakura and I were engulfed in an uncomfortable silence. After a few minutes of awkwardness, my pinkette cousin broke the silence. "Impressive," she commented, crossing her arms.

"What is?" I queried, genuinely confused. "You know; during lunchtime. I never knew you had that kind of fighting spirit in you, after all."

"She was pushing it way too far; you should know. She slapped me in front of class today." I say, furrowing my brows at her. Cotton candy pink hair fell over her shoulders as she nodded. "Today, we're going to make a little stop to the mall uptown. I want a new look for New York," Sakura said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Slumping into the black leather seat, I pulled my phone and earphones out. I inserted the earphones in their respective places as I skimmed through my playlist, finding a song to listen to. Within seconds, I had _Dear Maria, Count Me In _by All-Time Low blasting in my ears. Well, not literally _blasting_, per se. If I _did _crank up the volume at the maximum level, I think I'd probably go deaf.

xXx

When we reached the huge shopping mall that boasted 'more than 300 shops and more than a hundred restaurants', I was kind of stoked, so to say. _Why _have I never heard of this mall before? I honestly didn't know. Maybe, Temari, the guys and I can drive uptown and check more of this place out.

_Is there a music store here? _I thought, as Sakura and I exited the limo, which the chauffeur had opened the door for us. The mall was very spacious and _very _big. To get to the main entrance, you'd have to drive up a black-tiled drive way, around a marble fountain and stop right in front of the clear glass doors, with two security guards on either side. The mall entrance was supported with two beige-colored columns, the walls were in a dark shade of tan and there were two potted plants on either side of the entrance.

Sakura left her school jacket in the limo, and she sauntered forward, with her black Prada handbag in her hands. The security guards saluted us as I followed her into the large mall. My emerald orbs widened at the interior, which was, by far, all white. White floors, white walls, white everything. The only colors in the area were the bright colors from the stores and the cocoon-like lamps overhead in various colors.

I felt for my wallet, following Sakura as she sashayed in a fashion boutique. "What to buy?" I heard the pinkette mumble under her breath. Whilst Sakura was getting her shopping on, I strolled away, nonchalantly walking out.

I turned my music off and slipped my earphones in my pocket, looking at the different accessories in one shop. Deeming it interesting, I walked in, looking at the accessories ranging from chunky bracelets to leopard print scarves to pink pearl necklaces. A pair of fingerless leather gloves caught my eye, as it hung there, with different accessories with spikes. _No_, they're not studded; they are _real _metal spikes, the one you'd expect to see on mountain-climbing cleats or something. The shopkeeper glanced up from her _Cosmopolitan _magazine in her neatly manicured fingers. She gave me a nod before turning to her glossy magazine, flipping a page. I glanced at it, taking a hold of its cold and sleek texture. I grabbed its price tag and contemplated on whether to buy it or not.

I really wanted it, though I didn't really know where I'd possibly wear it. _Would Aunt Chizu approve of this? I don't think so. It's only a pair of gloves. But then _again_, this is Aunt Chizu, the renowned 'fashion expert' of the _Fashion Forward _magazine. Oh, what the heck; I'll buy it! _I took my blue wallet out and paid for it with my debit card. I never used it that often, but I _do _tend to splurge when I hang around with Gaara in the music shops. I often snap my guitar strings, dude. It's not a good feeling when I do snap them either. I feel guilty because it's like I strummed to hard or too much, but in the end, it's all about the music. It's all about jamming out, ne? Plus, I often misplace my guitar picks. I always buy them in black, so it's hard to find them in the Sabaku family's garage, especially when the place is barely lit.

I like that the garage in the Sabaku family's house is dark. I think it gives it off a vibe that we're playing in an underground bar, performing in front of a full house. Temari hired someone to set up stage lights, so it gives us a feeling that the ambience is like the one in an underground bar.

"Miss, here's your card," the shopkeeper said, raising a curious eyebrow at me. I shook the thoughts off, looking sheepish. "Thanks," I mutter, taking the card out of her manicured hand. It seems like every girl I see have manicures but me. _Should I get a manicure? _I thought, looking at my fingers. My fingernails were just starting to grow out, since I had cut them the night before the first day of school. I instinctively cracked my knuckles. It was for nothing in particular; it was just a habit I accumulated from playing the guitar for long periods of time with no breaks. Temari says that we should practice often and work on our stamina. Honestly, she's like our band mother or something.

I casually walked through the mall, with the small paper bag in hand. In the back of my mind, I had the slightest worry that Sakura would get in the limo, once she was done shopping, and leave without me. _Would she call? _I thought, furrowing my brows in deep thought. But in an instant, those thoughts flew out of my mind as I saw a big shop, selling chocolate. In curiosity, I walked to it, looking at all of the chocolate. _Yum, yum!_

_Meanwhile…_

"N-No, I-I will _not _'butter your biscuit'!" Gaara stuttered, trying to get away from all of these crazy fangirls. Why are they going ape-sh*t crazy over him just now? They never seemed to care until he began to go through puberty…

Kankuro leaned against the oh-so famed Volkswagen, laughing at his little brother get 'sexually assaulted'. They were waiting for Temari to finish up her school work. Gaara's jade orbs glanced upon the bland white building he was supposed to dub a 'school', as the corner of his lip curled downwards into a scowl. _When will she finish? _He irritably thought, trying to get Maturi's grip off of his arm. _This _is what happened when Temari wasn't here to assess the situation. Fangirls would stay after school and try to corner him, where they would do Kami knows what to him.

"Gaara, marry me, _please_!" a girl shouted, grabbing onto his red necktie. He pried the girl's hand off, "_What_? No!" "What the hell is going on here?" A voice boomed.

The fangirls froze as Temari stormed over, clutching her brown backpack angrily. "What the _hell _are you doing to him? Go away! Leave my baby brother—" Insert Gaara and Kankuro's eye roll here. "—alone!"

They reluctantly stalked off, muttering incoherent things under their breaths. "What?" Temari snapped, putting a hand on her hip. "If you have something to say, come and _say it to my face_!" The muttering stopped as the continued on their way back to the school building.

"Yeah, I _thought_ so!" Temari turned her teal blue eyes at Kankuro, who was snickering like he just pulled _the _most awesome prank on someone. "Kankuro, why didn't you help Gaara out?" Kankuro immediately stopped smirking and looked at his sister with no expression.

"What?" He casually asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. Temari crossed her arms as she made her way to the van. "You just _left him_, Kankuro. He could've been _molested_, for all we know!"

Gaara promptly choked on air at the thought, subconsciously wiping his face on his red jacket sleeve. Kankuro snickered at his brother's reaction as he opened the door to the van, getting in. "Goosebumps," Gaara muttered, rubbing his forearms.

_Vroom, vroom!_

As they drove off, everyone in the van was silent, engulfed in their thoughts. "Do you think Tomomi's okay? Since she's with Sakura and stuff," Kankuro asked nobody in particular, taking a left turn. Temari smirked, "I'm sure she'll survive; she's a pretty capable girl,"

Gaara smirked, nodding. "Yeah, she is," he said, looking out the window.

"Let's stop by _Starbucks _today. I've been craving for a caramel macchiato since lunchtime," Temari said, neatly arranging her books on her lap.

"Yeah, sure; don't blame me if you wind up staying wide awake half-through the night," Kankuro muttered, smirking.

xXx

This is the place I never could have imagined that existed! Chocolate, in all shapes and sizes! Fancy a chocolate guitar? _No_, I am _not _kidding! _This place is _awesome_, _I thought, looking at the chocolate drumsticks, wrapped in clear plastic wrap. Oh, look! A chocolate llama. Llamas rule, dude.

I snickered, playing with the milk chocolate llamas, making them talk with the white chocolate llamas and the strawberry milk giraffes. "How may I help you, miss?" A girl asked, chuckling at my antics (immaturity). I stood up straight, embarrassed. "Uh… I was just checking them out," I explained, placing my hands behind my back.

"No, it's okay; I like it when people like my chocolate creations," I nodded at her statement, grinning at the clear tables with chocolate horses on them. "They're so cute!" I commented, bending down to look closely at the chocolate figurines. They even had _nostrils_. Now _that_ is off the hook. I licked my lips, once I read on the small white sign by them that read: **"Made with pure Belgian chocolate."**

After a moment of contemplating, I chose to buy some and secretly snack on them in my room. Eating chocolate in secret made me feel so… bad. Just kidding; I still want the chocolates, though.

**How was it? Did it suck? Please review! So, I'm slowly starting to come out of my writer's block… But, guys, I have a **_**really **_**important question: Do you still like this story and do you still want me to continue it? Or is it boring/stale/uncreative now? I'm really curious. My mind had recently registered that this story isn't fun anymore, so… Haha~ Anyways, thanks for all of the reviews! Sorry for the late update.**

**~JellyDonut16~**


	32. Chapter 32: An Unexpected Visit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

An Unexpected Visit

As I walked down the small strip of shops, I took a good look at what I've bought so far. I had a pair of chocolate drumsticks for Temari, a chocolate guitar for Gaara, a pack of chocolate guitar picks for Kankuro and two boxes of edible chocolate makeup for Karin and Konan. Look, it even had a chocolate lipstick cap!

I had originally wanted to buy _way _less than this, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity (urge). Who knows when I'll be able to swing by here again? I shifted a bag of the chocolate presents from my left hand to my other; I had bought chocolate llamas for myself. They looked too cute to resist! After I had went to the chocolate shop, I stopped by the art shop where they sold the things I needed to make our project. The night before, I had Googled what I needed. Surprisingly, it consisted mainly of Styrofoam balls and acrylic paint.

With these materials, the project will most likely resemble the handiwork of 1st graders (Yay!). Truth be told, I don't really give a damn. Well, not if Deidara helps, I won't.

I quietly shuffled through the art shop, looking at the plethora of painting supplies, stacked neatly on one aisle on white metal racks. My emerald eyes gave a quick once-over the area before I darted into another aisle. _No, those were watercolors… _Tucking a lock of my burnt auburn hair behind my ear, I contemplated on which brand of acrylic paint to buy. I settled on _Plaza_'s acrylic paint tubes and began to stock them up in my hands, which were already quite full. I scanned the area for any baskets, and luckily, I found one at the end of the aisle. My footsteps creaked slightly on the aging wooden floor and I shuffled to the basket. In one go, I knelt down and threw the tubes into the top basket before arranging them.

The next thing I needed were paintbrushes, to paint the Styrofoam balls I've yet to buy. After a few minutes of searching and contemplating, I soon had everything I needed. Well, actually, I still needed a stand for the DNA, but I guess I could tell Deidara to buy one. I sure as hell don't know where he'll get it, but he can probably find it.

Well, probably not; whatever. I took my newly paid art supplies out and brought my phone out. It read: _4:49 P.M. _"It's time to head home," I said to myself, setting my things down for a minute. I had to call Sakura to see if we were ready to go, and before my conscience tells me to _never _call her when she's in 'the zone', I skimmed through the phonebook and pressed 'call'. I held it to my ear, slightly hoping she won't be so pissed at me for knocking her out of 'the zone'.

xXx

I kicked my door shut upon entering my room, lugging my stuff with me. I carefully set them on the floor and separating the chocolate from the art supplies. In fear someone might see the chocolates, I hurriedly hid them in the back my closet. I took a brief shower and changed into a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans and a white top. I slid into a pair of black sling-back sandals and shortly contemplated on whether to eat or not to eat one of the brave little chocolate llamas.

My stomach practically begged for some chocolate, but I eventually ignored it. I slightly freaked out though, when my stomach growled and it sounded slightly like, 'Chocolate'.

On my way down the stairs, I heard the sounds of chattering; Aunt Chizu must've brought someone over. Sakura followed down the stairs, donning an emerald green top, white pants and silver jewelry. "Who's here?" She asked, continuing her way down the stairs.

Alas, when I came down, I hadn't expected to see _him _here. I furrowed my brows, furtively backing away lest I get noticed. "Hello, Iwa-san," Sakura softly said, bowing down to Yosuke slightly. "Deidara-san," she continued, repeating her action. Deidara and his father both donned dress-shirts and black slacks. Deidara was crossing his arms, boringly looking around. "Miss Hayashi, what're you doing?" Airi queried from behind me. I jumped a foot back, exposing myself from the doorway I had previously hid myself by. Everyone's eyes were on me, "U-Uh, I just—I was just chilling! I was just chilling out by the doorway!" I hurriedly say, grinning sheepishly. Airi raised an eyebrow at me. Jeez, I must've totally looked like a stalker.

That or a creeper.

I step in the room, clearing my throat and folding my arms. Glancing to my shoes, I heard Aunt Chizu say, "Move along, children; this is business we're going to talk about," she said, and on cue, Sakura's phone rang. She sauntered out of the living room, glancing at her phone. I furrowed my brows and walked down the hall, considering the idea of wandering around the house.

"Hey, wait, yeah!" I heard Deidara say and I instinctively walk faster. _No! Not the baka; please! _I silently begged Kami-sama, rushing in the study. I bit my lip to keep myself from randomly shrieking and giving away my location and decided to sit under the desk and hide. I pulled the black swivel chair towards myself and squeezed myself in the dark, secluded space.

"Yo, anybody here, un?" I hear Deidara query, knowing he was inside. I can _feel _it. I bit my lip from trying to keep myself from hysterically laughing. _You won't find me! You _can't _find me! _I couldn't help but mentally taunt him. Grinning, I had inadvertently let out a giggle. _No_, not a snicker; a _giggle_. In effort to shut myself up, I clap my hand over my mouth and shut my eyes. _Pretend he's not even here. _But if so, why the _f*ck _would I even _be _here?

Suddenly, something grabbed my ankles. A shriek escaped my lips as my eyes snapped open. In front of me, I saw Deidara gripping my ankles. He smirked, leaning in. I backed away, feeling as if I were going to have a heart-attack. "H-H-Holy _sh*t_, you f*cking scared me!" I hissed, trying to breathe properly. The baka laughed as I struggled to kick him away.

"I hate you! I f*cking hate you! Die!" I growled out, trying to push him away, as he chuckled like a stupid idiot. I then tackled him, crawling out of the small space. He frowned, grabbing my ankle as I struggled to get away. I tripped, and Deidara had either hand on either side of me. "Get away! Shoo! Shoo!" I scold him, clenching my fists in front of his smug face. I use a tactic Gaara once taught me and kneed Deidara in the stomach.

"Ow, you b*tch!" he growled out, gripping his stomach. "What? You wouldn't leave me alone; I told you already, Deidara. I have a few moves up my sleeves. Be scared," I stand up, cracking my knuckles. Before my mind had registered it, Deidara had already stood up and had me pinned against one of the bookcases. "Don't forget, Tomomi; I f*cking murder people for a hobby. You already know how they died," he said, letting go. "Don't piss me off," My eyes widened. "The reason I'm pissing you off is because _you're _the one who pisses me off first!" I glare hard at him, trying my best to stop myself from socking yet _another _person in the face. My fists were clenched so tight, the knuckles became white.

_Inhale, exhale, _I told myself, firmly walking away from the blonde I call my science partner. As I exited the study, a clear voice rung lound and clear, "Nobuo, _what_ are you doing here?"

In an instant, I froze in the middle of my step and my heart skipped a beat. _It's _him_... _I thought, placing a palm firmly on my chest in effort to stop its ragged beating.

"Yo, Tomomi, are you hyperventilating again, un?" Deidara warily asks, gingerly lacing his fingers with my free hand. Slowly, I shook my head in response, "No... It's worse,"

Deidara's icy blue orbs widened a fraction.

**How was it? Did it suck? I tried to add some fluff here. I'm sorry this one is short… Thanks for all of the reviews! Please tell me your opinion on this chapter. Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I am _so_, _so_, _so_, _so _sorry about such a late update! I kept encountering a troublesome error that wouldn't let me update either stories for roughly more than 2 weeks! Gomenasai~ I'll try to update soon whilst it's still working!**


	33. Chapter 33: Can I have your number?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Can I have your number?

"What do you want, Nobuo?" Aunt Chizu hissed, narrowing her emerald green eyes at Nobuo, whom in turn just idly flopped down on the brown leather couch, crossing his arms. A devilish smirk crossed his smooth features, "I just wanted to drop by, Chizu; see how Sakura was doing,"

"Who's that, un?" Deidara curiously whispered in my ear, 'nonchalantly' (yeah, right) snaking his arm around my waist. I peel his hand off my waist and lean in towards the three adults in the living room. "_That _man, Deidara, is the person Aunt Chizu absolutely despises the most. She abhors him with such hatred, that nobody in the household other than Sakura can utter his name. And so, the _rest _of us call him, 'he-whom-must-not-be-named', like in that movie; Harry Potter."

"_You _like Harry Potter?" I turn to face Deidara to see his face scrunched up in slight distaste. I scowl at him, "Well, why not? The graphics are amazing, the plot is fun and-and… stuff,"

"_So _sorry, yeah. I'm not preferably fond of little English boys with 'magical wands', hmm," He sneers, leaning in towards the doorway.

"Well, who asked _you_?" I harshly bark back, trying to focus on what they were saying. Hopefully, PWN-ing him with that comment shut him up. I instinctively squint my eyes to see if I could hear better.

Nobuo's piercing blue eyes slowly drifted to Yosuke-san in an intimidating manner. "Who's this, Chizu? Your newest catch, eh?" Yosuke-san promptly started to choke on his whiskey on the rocks. The look on his face read, '_WTF?_' Aunt Chizu's eyes widened to saucer-like proportions.

"Good luck, chap. Chizu here is quite the feisty—"

"_Nobuo_! Yosuke-san is _simply _an _associate_; one that is _far _more successful than you _ever _were," Nobuo held a hand to his heart in mock sadness, "Ouch, Chizu. That really stung," He rolls his eyes. _Is it just me or does this argument sound familiar? _I thought, knitting my brows together. "Just _spit it out_, Nobuo. What do you _want_; money, this _house_, _a car_?"

He shook his head, wearing that smug look on his face and clapped his hands together. "I don't want any material things from _you_, Chizu; I want Sakura." Aunt Chizu and Yosuke-san stiffened. "A-Are you _joking _me, Nobuo? You are _not_—"

Nobuo pressed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head, "_Only _until winter, Chizu. You can have her back next year—"

"What do you mean by 'you can have her back'? Sakura is _not _an object, you-you—Nobuo; she is _my _daughter and you shall _not _have her on any other occasion other than the custody rules out."

The corner of Nobuo's lip curled down into a lopsided scowl. "If you think you were just going to take Sakura like that, you were sadly mistaken, Nobuo. Such a shame you wasted your time travelling across the globe, only to come back empty-handed." The man smirked, making Yosuke-san uncomfortable. I could see just from the way Yosuke-san was fidgeting in his seat, not-so discreetly inching away from the two.

"That's where you're _wrong_, Chizu. I had originally come here to seal a deal with Uchiha corps; I'm running with the big-shots now," Aunt Chizu narrowed her eyes, bitterly smiling, "That's nice, Nobuo. Now leave,"

The intensity of their glaring contest could have matched the intensity of Superman's laser beams. Sounds of footsteps echoed from behind me. "Mom, _when _will we finally have dinner? Ino already had _hers_— Daddy!" she floats across the room and Nobuo stands up to receive the incoming pinkette. Light pink hair cascading down her waist shook as she buried her face into his chest.

"Daddy, I missed you," Nobuo smirked at Aunt Chizu. "C'mon, Chizu; like Sakura said, she's hungry. And, you don't want to keep your 'associate' waiting," Aunt Chizu rolls her eyes and apologetically turns to Yosuke.

Sakura's father wraps his arm around Sakura's shoulder as they walk out; Nobuo's piercing blue eyes snap to Deidara and I, "Hello, Tomomi," Deidara reaches for my forearm, holding it tightly.

I shakily nod at Nobuo, "H-Hello, Yamashita-san," He nods before stalking into the dining room. "Daddy, what're _you_ doing here?"

"Deidara, why are you holding my arm?" I query, looking him in the eye. Slowly, he shook his head, looking quite unsure about something. "Nothing, nothing, yeah; let's eat, hmm?" I nod and we walk in the direction of the dining room.

The feeling of Deidara's tight and constricting grip on me slightly freaked me out; why was his hold on me so freakishly tight? I am _not _a stress ball; nor am I a stress _anything _for that matter. "Let go," I say to him, trying to peel his troublesome hand off. He smirked at me, "Nah,"

I stop dead in my tracks and kick his shin. He quickly dodges, grinning wildly, "Haha, you missed, yeah!" And so, I hit him upside the head.

"Ow! That hurt, un!"

"Do I look like I _care_?"

"Whatever, hmm," I smirked in my newfound victory. _Oh, _yes_, I'm a _boss_. _I thought to myself, mentally giving myself a pat on the back.

* * *

Dinner was absolute _hell_. The room is dead silent except for the sounds of Sakura and Nobuo's idle chatter. Sakura, for once, wasn't pouting. I could see why, though. She only saw her father once a year, and out of those 365 days, she only got to spend time with him for fourteen days, and on rare occasions, a month.

"So, what brought you here, daddy?" Aunt Chizu stiffened, sending a glare in Nobuo's direction. I pick at my roasted chicken, awaiting another argument. "Well, sweetie, I'm here to pick you up; take you to Switzerland with me. Well, just until the New Year, eh, Chizu?"

In an almost desperate effort to block out their tensed conversation, I glanced at our _other _(actual) guests. Deidara was beside me and was currently engrossed with something under the table, probably his phone. Yosuke-san, who was opposite Deidara, on the other hand, was calmly eating as if the tension didn't faze him, much unlike his behavior earlier.

A sigh escaped my lips, as I poked at the steamed vegetables on my plate. Seriously, _why_? _Why _does _every _meal I have here have to have vegetables cooked in a non-appealing way? I guess it's pretty obvious why.

"Hey," Deidara whispers under his breath, nudging me. I glance at him with a raised eyebrow. "Can I have your number?"

Uh, no; you _can't_.

Almost immediately, I felt a rush of blood flow to my cheeks. I was thankful that there was dim yellow lighting; he probably won't know a _thing_. All of a sudden, just as he's about to give me his phone, he smirks triumphantly. "You're _blushing_, un!" he lowly whispers, shamelessly 'caressing' my cheek.

"What the _hell_?" I mouth at him, awkwardly pushing his hand away. Cue my discreet scooting away from Deidara on my chair. Deidara scowls before abruptly standing up. "Excuse me, I just have to discuss a matter of schoolwork with Tomomi, yeah," he curtly says to everyone, whilst he practically dragged me out of my seat.

"_What _the _actual f*ck_?" I hiss, once I'm sure we're out of hearing-range. I highly doubt anyone will hear us, since we're outside, by the front door. "What, un?"

"You _touched _me!" The corner of his lips curled down into a lopsided scowl. "You make simple gestures of 'affection' (yeah, right) seem so dirty, hmm."

My jaw drops for a split-second. "Whatever; I'm going back inside."

"No, you're not. Well, _not _until your number is in my phone, yeah."

"What are you going to _do _with it, anyway?"

"So I can call you and text you when need be,"

"Then my answer is 'no',"

"_Why_?"

"Because I don't feel safe with giving my number to a jerk who once blew up people for fun,"

"Ouch, un. That stung,"

"What? It's only the truth."

We stood there in silence, glaring at each other. "_C'mon_, Tomomi; I won't rig your phone to blow up, or anything like that, yeah,"

"_Perfect_; that just scared me even _more_," He pouts at me, and suddenly, his cuteness factor rises up into an all-time high.

I try to resist myself from screaming about how cute he looked, because that'd be both awkward and very, _very _weird. I stiffen, looking into his blue pools. Not _pools _literally, but his eyes. Of course, I would never have the good enough vision to see all the way to his house and see if he has blue swimming pools.

_Kami, _I thought, as a drop of sweat rolled down my forehead. His gaze intensified, tenfold. "_Fine_; give me your stupid phone," He grinned victoriously, handing me his iPhone.

The moment I slid across the screen and pressed on his contacts list, I saw a different array of girls' numbers. Begrudgingly, I entered my real number and handed it back to him. He smirked, "I'll call you, un; just to make sure, is all,"

I cross my arms and frown at him. _**"I've got a secret; it's on the tip of my tongue, it's on the back of my lungs and I'm going to keep it. I know something you don't know."**_

His eyes widen at my ringtone by Bring Me The Horizon. I slip my phone out of my jeans' pocket and reject his call with much unexpected enthusiasm. "You have my number now, sadly." I say, reentering the manor.

"Wait up, un!"

* * *

Yelling, shouting and the sounds of things being thrown; those were what I was hearing now, from the living room. Nobuo and Aunt Chizu were having another bitter argument.

_Crash!_

The sound of glass being broke rung through my ears, loud and clear enough to echo around the entire manor. Gaara, through the computer monitor, raises a non-existent eyebrow at me. "Yo, what's going on there?" He worriedly queries, clutching the acoustic guitar in his hands.

"Aunt Chizu's having an argument with Sakura's father," I say, furrowing my brows.

"It's _my _life; _my decision_!" Sakura yells out, followed by another sound of something breaking and going to waste. "I guess _she's _in the argument, too." I say, shaking my head slightly.

Gaara's features are mixed with slight concern, "You okay?" I give him a reassuring smile, shrugging my shoulders. "I know _I _am, but I know they aren't,"

"Then, how about we talk about something else; like, the band?"

"Sure..." I reply, trying to channel out the arguing downstairs.

"What do you say about going metal?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really? What kind of bands?" A smirk crossed his pale lips, as he leaned in towards the camera, with the light illuminating from the computer monitor giving his pale skin an incandescent glow. "Bands like Bullet For My Valentine, Breaking Benjamin or Eyes Set To Kill," I found myself in thought for a short moment.

"I don't know _any _of them," I say, shrugging my shoulders and grinning sheepishly. He snorts, rolling his eyes. "Figures," he smirks, clicking his mouse. With an audible _Pop!_, a YouTube link popped up on our lengthy chat box. I click on it, and the browser window pops up to a video called, 'Tears Don't Fall' by Bullet For My Valentine. I raise my eyebrows, clicking on play.

Suddenly, I've truly realized what I wanted to do in the near future.

I want our band to skyrocket in the charts, and play the sickest guitar and drum solos out there. But, like _all _bands, we all have to start from one.

* * *

_**"I've got a secret; it's on the tip of my tongue, it's on the back of my lungs and I'm going to keep it. I know something you don't know." **_I woke up with a start, fumbling around the bed for my phone. Squinting at the bright light coming from it, I blindly answer the phone.

"Hello?" I whisper (hiss), looking at the alarm clock. I nearly broke out in hysterics at what I saw. _Do my eyes deceive me? Tell _me it's not a quarter past three in the morning; _please_.

"Hello, you are the _lucky _winner of a prank call, un!" It's _him_.

"Go f*ck yourself! F*ck you, you stupid f*cking d*ck!" He snickers at my irritation and anger.

"Naughty, naughty, yeah." He says in a low, seductive voice, but my irritation still remains. "It's _three in the morning_! _You woke me up at three in the morning_!"

_Beep._

Oh, that douche.

**How was it? Did it suck? Sorry if it did, and apologies for the extremely slow update. I was obligated to go on vacation in a place where Wi-Fi was non-existant, and shortly after, I had a _very _bad case of writer's block. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'll make sure to upload chapters faster. Review, ne?**

**~JellyDonut16~**


	34. Chapter 34: Meeting My Match

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Meeting My Match

_Beep. Bee—_

_Thud!_

Begrudgingly, I sat up on the bed, menacingly glaring at the alarm clock on the floor, which I had deliberately chucked at the floor, promptly shutting it up. What can I say? It isn't one of my best mornings today. I had spent half the night unable to fall asleep because I was too worked up and pissed at Deidara to the point that I couldn't sleep. In the ungodly hours of the morning, I tossed and turned in the sheets, likely emanating bloodlust.

I got out of bed and stomped across the room into my bathroom, getting ready for school. Once I got out, I shook my head at my uniform, glaring at it. It irked me, the way it was just hanging there, like it didn't have a care in the world. Why would it? It's an inanimate, nonliving object. I throw my uniform on, feeling like I just wanted to rip the poly-cotton blend skirt into _pieces_.

_Millions _of tiny pieces.

I snatch my backpack off the floor and I luckily remember to bring the chocolate. Though I feel like breaking a certain _somebody's _neck, I carefully handle the chocolates lest they're all an unidentifiable, chocolate-y mess, broken in pieces.

Storming downstairs to the dining room, I see Sakura there, already eating breakfast and dressed in a pink floral dress and a white cardigan. Aunt Chizu, often first to come down, has yet to be seen. I raise an eyebrow, immediately recalling the argument the night before. What happened?

"_What _are you wearing?" She asks, raising an eyebrow at my garb. I shrug, "The school uniform?"

"Today is casual Friday," Sakura says, stabbing a cherry tomato with her fork. I toss my bag by the doorway as my eyes widen. "Seriously?"

I scowl before promptly running back upstairs in a huff. By the time I get back in my room, I've already broke into a sweat. Exasperatedly throwing my wardrobe open I rip out a pair of dark skinny jeans, hung on a hanger. I hop into them, scanning my wardrobe for a shirt to wear.

I pause suddenly, wondering if Sakura had been meaning to prank me. I stumble over to my desk, poring over my schedule, magic-taped to the wooden surface. It seems that Sakura was _right_. Today _is _a casual Friday.

Rushing over to my window, I see Kankuro's van stopping in front of the gates. My eyes widen in disbelief. _Why? Why me?_

I throw a black shirt on, conveniently on top of one of the stacks of my clothes, and jump into a pair of red high-cut Converse sneakers. Since it was rather hard to run with untied sneakers, let alone not properly put on, I slid my shoes off and grabbed them as I ran down the stairs in my socks.

I dart down the hall, whizzing past a maid and stopping in front of the dining room to get my bag. Exiting the manor, I run down the cobblestone driveway (hurts like hell) and slip through the gates. Jogging down the sidewalk, I throw the van's door open and slide in, slamming the door.

Kankuro, Temari and Gaara all raise an eyebrow at me expectantly. "Just drive; please," I plead, tossing my sneakers on the mat. Rubbing my temples, Gaara wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No!" I exclaim, feeling like I was about to have a nervous breakdown and collapse, sobbing like a retarded banshee. Gaara pulls me in, and gives me a single-armed hug. "Tomomi, what happened?" Temari warily asks, putting a comforting hand on my lap. "Was it Chizu? Sakura?"

I shake my head, feeling my head pound against my skull. My stomach then growled, proclaiming its hunger and lack of nourishment; I hadn't eaten much last night. "It was that _idiot_, Deidara," I hiss, running a hand through my hair. "The-the—_He _called me at three in the _morning_! He _actually _prank-called me! That bastard! I couldn't sleep at _all _because of _him_!"

"Tomomi, i-it's okay; _I'll _deal with the guy _myself_," Gaara mutters, pulling me closer to him. A blush crept up my cheeks once I realized how close we were.

"Kankuro, can you stop by a 7-Eleven? I didn't really get to eat breakfast," I sheepishly say, fidgeting in my seat. I uncomfortably shift Gaara's hand away to put my shoes properly.

After a few more minutes of driving, Kankuro stopped in front of a 7-Eleven, and I exited the van, grabbing my wallet in my bag. Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow at me, "Want me to come?"

"Sure," I replied, making my way to the 7-Eleven.

In the small shop, I browsed potential breakfast items under the bright fluorescent lighting. Gaara followed closely behind, as I gave the neatly stacked instant noodles a once over. "Hot noodles in a moving car?" Gaara asks, shaking a cup of Nissin instant noodles. I shake my head, chuckling. "Not a good idea, is it?"

"Nah, not really," Gaara states, as we walk into another aisle. "So… Out of curiosity, are you _serious _about dealing with Deidara?" I cautiously ask, giving him a quick glance. I see him stuff his hands in his uniform pockets, "Well, why not? The guy sounds like a jerk, which he probably is."

I grin. "You've got _that _right. Sometimes, he's like the ultimate uber-douche; other times, he's actually decent, but that's only on rare occasions."

Gaara rolls his eyes, grabbing a can of Pepsi. "Don't worry about me. _I'll _deal with him. It's really no problem, Gaara," I say, taking a bottle of green tea.

We pay for the drinks and the sandwiches I got by the counter and get back in the van, where Kankuro and Temari were currently having a disagreement.

"No way, Kankuro! 'Love Bites' is premiering today! I can't miss it!" Temari says, as Kankuro scowls at her.

"Temari, the _big game _is _tonight_, and _only _tonight! Have a heart, sis! Hey; you can go to your friend's house and watch your drama show _there_!"

"Why don't _you _go to one of _your _friends' house and watch _there_?"

"I couldn't really blame them for arguing," Gaara mutters under his breath. "The TV's a 50-inch flat screen with high definition."

"Don't they have Tivo?" I mutter back. He shrugs, "They both want to watch it _when _it's showing." I briefly contemplated on whether to ask him about the picture-in-picture feature, but I guess that's kind of out of the question.

Soap operas lose their effect when there's the sound of whistles and cheering; so do football games and the sounds of couples fighting, having make-up lovemaking and the sound of dramatic wailing and such.

As we stop at a stoplight, Kankuro flips the radio on. "I wonder what's on today," He says. Following his words soon after, we hear the most horrible auto-tuned noise _ever_.

"_**It's Friday, Friday; gonna get down on Friday,"**_ Kami, what _is _this? Gaara's eyes widen as he struggles to shut the radio frantically, as if the song was slowly draining him of his soul, which I'm pretty sure is happening to me right now. _Don't worry, Gaara. You're not the only one, _I thought, with my jaw going slack at the so-called originality of the lyrics.

"_**Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday. Today is Friday, Friday. We-we-we so excited, we so excited," **_Don't get me started on the grammar, let alone the sheer stupidity.

After a solid whack on the radio by Temari, she slowly shook her head. "I-I—Guys, I think my IQ just dropped by ten points,"

Kankuro snickers at that one, digging through the stacks of CDs in the glove compartment. You know what's ironic? The fact that people probably don't put gloves in it.

I snort, taking my ham and cheese sandwich out, taking a hearty bite out of it. Disagree if you want, but in my opinion, 7-Eleven has some pretty good sandwiches.

xXx

By the time we reach the gates of school, I think of Deidara, thus leading me to think of what he had done early this morning. The mere thought rekindled my previously calm demeanor, instantly re-pissing me off again, if that was even possible. You know, when you think of something irritating somebody did before, and it pisses you off again; even though it may have happened a long time ago.

The thought of having to see his face again irritated me. As Kankuro drove up, Deidara, Konan and the rest of the Akatsuki were in front of the school, casually talking.

I'm pretty sure that the moment I saw him, I wanted to beat him up until he passed out. Well, actually, I'd probably still beat him even though he's an unconscious heap on the ground. I narrow my eyes at him, though he probably couldn't see me because he was giving Tobi a noogie (_That bastard!_) Tobi has been nothing but nice to me, so that _may _have pissed me off even _more_.

As soon as Kankuro stopped in front of the school's front doors, I hopped out, cracking my knuckles. "S-Senpai; Tobi is a good boy!" Tobi says, looking like he was about to lose his balance. I shove Deidara's shoulder, prompting him to look me in the eye.

"Let Tobi go," I hiss through gritted teeth. Deidara frowns and roughly lets Tobi go. The poor kid scrambles to behind me as I cross my arms and give him a disapproving look.

"What, un? Tobi was annoying the hell out of me—"

"Then that would be a good thing! Maybe, next time, you won't _be so evil_ and prank-call people in the unearthly hours of the morning," I say, raising an eyebrow at his garb. Deidara wore a loose black v-necked shirt, jeans and a pair of black Nike sneakers.

A grin crosses his face, "I got you _good_! You were _super _pissed, yeah." I scowl, "Yeah; I _am_,"

Promptly, I start to kick his shin. He dodges, laughing along.

"Hey, Tomomi, you forgot your backpack in the van," I hear Gaara say from behind me. Turning on my heel to face him, I see him panting slightly, likely from running.

"G-Gaara—Where's the van?" I ask, taking the backpack from him. He rolls his sea green eyes, "Parked out in front of the gates. The looks the kids here give me are freaking me out,"

"So _you're _Gaara, hmm?" Ah, _sh*t_.

Gaara straightens up, narrowing his eyes at Deidara slightly. Deidara narrows his eyes back, only returning it with a mischievous smirk. "Aa; what is it to you?" The smirk slowly fades away as the two have a manly glaring contest.

I nervously slung my backpack over my shoulders, reaching for Gaara's arm. "Ignore the bastard," I say quietly, hoping a fight won't break out.

I don't know if I ever told you, but Gaara's pretty much had a record of beating kids up single-handedly in a brutal fashion. That was before, when he was a kid; now, he's _way _calmer than he was before.

"I've heard a _lot _about you, yeah." Gaara's eyes flicker over to me for a split-second. I roll my eyes, "You were eavesdropping on my texts, baka. You practically consider no one else's privacy to be sacred, other than _yours_—"

"I'm Deidara, yeah. It's 'nice' to meet you… _hmm_," Deidara says, glancing down at Gaara, who was shorter than him. Gaara stood straight, with his glower never wavering. I gulp, feeling my palms get sweaty. _What do I say? _I thought, biting my lip.

"Aa… I see you're the uber-douche bastard Tomomi's been talking about," I couldn't help but snort at Gaara's straight-face comment.

Deidara shoves Gaara back, glaring daggers at him. I promptly stop goofing off, standing there like an idiot and help Gaara. "Who're _you _calling an uber-douche, yeah?" Deidara growls as Gaara barely staggers.

"Who else, other than the bastard in front of me?" Gaara growls back, pushing Deidara. "G-Gaara," I say, grabbing his upper arm. He brushes it away, cracking his knuckles. "Gaara, y-you seriously don't have to fight!" I say, stopping in front of him. He glances at me, likely contemplating on whether or not to listen to me.

Slowly, he backs off… Until Deidara shoved me away and punched Gaara's jaw. It was as if a nightmare had suddenly sprung out and began to wreak havoc. Gaara punches back, with the argument slowly growing into a fistfight. Nearby students rush to us and cheer them on, instead of stopping them.

"Gaara, please, stop," I plead, rubbing my hands nervously. But they don't; they throw punches at each other, yelling curses at each other. "Deidara, stop it!" I yell at Deidara, shoving him back.

Luckily, Kisame comes and holds him back as Gaara remains practically unscathed. I grab Gaara's hand, "Temari and Kankuro are probably worried about you, Gaara. I-I'll take you to the gates myself; come on,"

Konan rushes to me, "Tomomi, what happened?"She queries, carefully looking at Gaara. "Gaara, _please _don't ever do that again," I say, frowning at him. Instinctively, I grab his arm and pull it to my chest; my heart was pounding like _crazy_. The fear of Gaara getting hurt or hurting someone really got to me this time.

He stops dead in his tracks on our way to the van. "T-Tomomi, I-I'm—Gomenasai; i-it was just that he was really irritating me,"

"It's okay, Gaara," I say, heaving a sigh.

"No, it's _not_, Tomomi. He just _shoved _you like that," he says, the corner of his lip curling down.

"I-It's _totally _nothing, Gaara. Just promise me you won't just flip out like that. Like I told you, _I'll _deal with him myself. I really couldn't bear with myself if _you _got hurt because of _me_,"

"But—"

"Please?"

"…Oh, fine."

By the gates, I see Kankuro waiting outside of the van he waves at us, grinning. "I'll call you during lunch," Gaara mutters under his breath, giving my hand one last squeeze before jogging out of the gates, earning a hearty pat on the back from Kankuro.

"Oh, my Kami," Konan says, grinning like crazy. _What's with the million-dollar grin?_

"What? That was _totally _a wreck, wasn't it?" Konan shakes her head.

"W-_What_? How was it _not _a total wreck?" She wraps an arm around my shoulder in a gray cardigan, a blue blouse and a white skirt. "Nothing, nothing; I just found something _really _interesting."

_Meanwhile…_

As Temari goes off at Gaara for taking so long, solid aquamarine eyes glaze over the Academy. He gritted his teeth, irked that he didn't get to finish off beating up Deidara.

_It's on…_

**How was it? Did it suck? Sorry for the late update! I was sick, stuck with a writer's-block and I was banned from the 'net. Other than those, school had just started and I had trouble locating this laptop. Same goes for its charger, as it is currently low on battery. Thank you **_**so **_**much for the 300+ reviews! I'm so grateful for each and every one of your reviews, as I love hearing from you! I'm honestly sorry if it wasn't much, but this was basically a major change in plot. I thought it was about time. Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Please review~!**


	35. Chapter 35: Gone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Gone

The fight; it was all that I could think of that morning. I glanced at the bland white clock on the light blue wall; it was another fifteen minutes before I had to go to my next class, English.

"Tomomi, yeah," Deidara called again, just as he had been for the last forty-five minutes. "_What_ _now_?" I query, keeping my things in my bag.

"Hi," I narrow my eyes at him. "Do _not _start on me, _Deidara_. Don't think I haven't forgotten about this morning,"

"Jeez, un. You're still mad about that, hmm?"

"_Of course _I am; there wouldn't have been any fight if _you _had shut the f*ck up!"

"Kami, chill, Tomomi; it's not like I blew him up," Deidara retorts, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "He didn't even get beat up, anyway; well, not _yet_, at least." He smirks, wriggling his stupid, cocky, blond eyebrows at me.

"You are _such _a jerk," I growl out, zipping my bag close.

_Ding! __**"Hayashi Tomomi, please report to the principal's office at once." **__Ding!_

…Holy _sh*t_.

I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks once I felt everyone's eyes on me. I stood up, nearly knocking my chair over. Deidara chuckles, smirking at me, "Busted!"

I frown, grabbing my backpack and Deidara by his shirt. "_You _got me into this; now, you're coming with _me_," I threateningly hiss under my breath, pulling him up. I drag him out of his chair, with Deidara snickering and grabbing my arm.

Shaking my head, I glance down at my feet in shame and open the door, shoving him out and following him after.

_Clack._

"I hate you," I growl out, glaring at Deidara. "I'm touched, yeah." I pause in my tracks, turning to kick him in the shin, "D*ck," To my irritation, he manages to dodge (again).

Shaking my head, I run a hand through my bright scarlet locks, "Why did you have to start a fight, anyway?" I ask honestly.

Silence.

"…I—I thought it'd be kind of fun, hmm." Deidara quietly states, walking ahead of me. I raise an eyebrow at his odd and late response, but I shrug them off as his guilt.

xXx

_Clack._

I open the door to Principal Tsunade's office, pulling Deidara in with me. "Principal Tsunade, I can explain—"

I freeze mid-step. Principal Tsunade, Aunt Chizu and two police officers occupy the room.

_Oh, Kami. Was the fight really _that _serious? _Gulping whatever nervousness I have, I try and compose myself (which I'm probably failing at).

"Ohayo-gozaimasu, Aunt Chizu; Principal Tsunade; officer," My lips manage to croak out, feeling my throat suddenly run dry. "Tomomi," Principal Tsunade starts, as I see Aunt Chizu and the police officer conversing urgently. I turn to face Principal Tsunade, feeling the blood slowly drain from my face.

"Did you see Sakura this morning?" she queries, locking her eyes with mine. I try to shake the nervousness out of my system, racking my mind for a solid answer. "I saw her at breakfast this morning,"

"Did you talk to her? What did she say?" The room had gone silent. Aunt Chizu and the police officer were attentively listening in. I racked my mind further.

"Tomomi, please tell us _everything _that Sakura said to you this morning." The police officer said, crossing his arms.

At that moment, my head was completely cleared out of any confusing thoughts. "She and I didn't talk much because I woke up late for school and skipped breakfast at home… All she told me was that today was a casual Friday and that I could wear what I wanted."

"Nothing about where she was going today?" Aunt Chizu cut it, looking frantic.

I shake my head, "No, n-nothing at all. Why?"

"Tomomi," Principal Tsunade says, glancing up at me. "Sakura's missing."

A heavy silence falls over the room. The tension builds up as chills slither down my spine.

"…Intense, yeah," Deidara adds, reminding everyone in the room of his presence.

xXx

"Where could she be?" Aunt Chizu exclaims, exiting the principal's office. She runs a hand through her platinum blonde hair, which cascaded down her shoulders as perfectly as it did Sakura's.

My stomach twisted and turned into knots. "And such _perfect _timing; _just _before we have to go to New York, she does this." "Don't worry, Mrs. Haru—" the police officer says.

"It's _Ms. _Haruno, officer." Aunt Chizu interjects, shaking her head slightly.

_Oh, the audacity. But then again, she is divorced already—wait. She's _divorced _already. _I thought, trying to set my mind on something particular, yet I wasn't exactly sure with what.

I formulated a theory within the confines of my mind, with what happened yesterday and this morning. Since Nobuo happened to be at the manor last night, and Sakura _happened _to be wearing something casual, there was a possibility that she was with him.

"Aunt Chizu, do you think that Sakura might be with Nobuo-sama?" I asked, looking at her.

In her mascara lined emerald green eyes, I just knew that something may have _clicked_. In an instant, those eyes identical to my own narrowed to practically nothing but thick, black slits. "_Nobuo_," she hisses.

She shakes her head, "Such _perfect _timing, ne? Just before I have an important meeting with the core editors of _Fashion Forward_." She mutters under her breath, as the black limo smoothly stops a few feet in front of her. The chauffeur hurriedly got out of the car and opened the door for her, just in the nick of time.

"You stay in school. _I'll _deal with this on my own," she says sharply, as the chauffeur closes the door shut. He gets back in and drives away, off into the distance… LOL, jk, he's not even past the school's stainless steel gates yet.

I heaved a sigh, rubbing the nape of my neck as I walk in. "Tomomi, un," Deidara says, as soon as I get through the school doors. "_What_?" I snap, furrowing my brows at him. "You've been on my back all morning, baka. Now, my _cousin _has _gone with the wind _and you're not helping this get any better,"

He gives me a sheepish, lopsided grin and a shrug. "It's as sure as hell fun, though, yeah. It's like one of those ridiculous Korean soap-operas you see on T.V., hmm!"

I snort. He laughs, looking at me. Kicking the nonexistent dust from under my feet, I avert my gaze to the scuffled blue linoleum tiling. Silently, I pondered on why he was just _staring _at me like that.

Slowly, I glance up at him, and he and I lock our gaze in. To my utmost surprise, my heart skipped a beat at the warm smile he gave me.

_What's happening to me?_

_Oh, Kami._

**Oh, my Kami~! I am **_**so**_**, **_**so**_**, **_**so**_**, sorry for the **_**extremely **_**slow update! Here's why; no excuses: my school began. Obviously, I've not **_**any **_**time to work on anything at **_**all**_**. And I've been in a state of extreme writer's block, so I'm deeply sorry for the slow update. Since my mid-term exams are coming up, I'll try to finish a chapter by this week or the next prior my exams.**

**Thank you **_**so **_**much for sticking with this story!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I hope y'all review on how it is, now. I've been reading a **_**ton **_**of different books, to the tense used in the story has likely changed, since present tense is now what I'm used to using. All those numerous English essays did that to me~ Apologies if Tomomi is somewhat isn't the same anymore. I hope I can still channel that spunky redhead into this fanfic~**


	36. Chapter 36: Sarcasm

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Sarcasm

"_Spill_, Tomomi," Karin 'greets' us, squeezing in between Konan and I. I raise an eyebrow at her, making room for her to sit comfortably. "Spill what, Karin?" She gave me a light smack on the arm, "Tell me about what happened this morning! I heard Tsunade _call you out_."

"Everyone in school did," Konan added, pulling away from her green tea ice-cream. All of a sudden, I felt tired. The tiredness was soon quickly replaced by irritation. Still, I kept my calm; Karin didn't do anything to irritate me. But then again, why did I feel so annoyed, then? The kind of annoyance you feel when you get the urge to b*tch-slap some b*tch in the face.

Huh. Weird…

"Drama with Sakura; I don't really want to go into details," I sigh, rubbing my lower back. _Why _did it hurt like a _b*tch_?

"I'm not sure I want you to, by the way you've mentioned it," Konan says, arching an eyebrow at me. Karin nodded in agreement, opening her bag of _Lays_.

I rub my temples, suddenly getting a headache. _Drama, drama, drama,_ I thought to myself, shaking my head slightly. A mixture of emotions overwhelmed my mind, as a flurry of thoughts flew by. In the same moment, I felt like crying at all of the sh*t that happened this morning and last night. Then, I felt like I had an ever-burning urge to repetitiously bang my head on a wall. _Now_, I just felt a loathing for everything around me.

_I hate everyone!_

"Hey, un," _he _greets, sending chills down my spine. Though I wasn't definite if they were the good or bad ones, but I'm pretty sure they were the latter. _Him, _I hissed in my mind. _It's that f*cking jerk again._

"What's with you, ginger, un?" he snickers, sitting across from me.

"_Deidara,_" Pein growls out in an ominous tone. From my peripherals, I notice the dumb blond pale inconsiderably and stiffen at the mention of his name, as if his neck had a f*cking plank nailed to it.

Pulling away from my hands, I glanced at all of the food I've gotten. Two slices of pizza, a large Coke, a _Mars _bar and a chocolate chip cookie. It looked all so _beautiful_, and absolutely appetizing. Grabbing a slice of pizza, the rich aroma of the spices and mozzarella cheese filled my nose.

I began eating, hoping that I didn't resemble someone who hadn't eaten food in an ungodly long time. In between taking bites out of my food and taking sips of Coke, I saw that freshman Deidara had been hitting on the past few days.

She didn't do anything to me, but Kami, I felt like I abhorred her with _every _fiber in my being.

Almost longingly, she stared at Deidara like he was a slab of meat, tottering with her friends on their Oxford heels. Raising an eyebrow at her, I wondered if she knew how obvious it was that she was staring at him.

My irritation increased without cause. Kami knows why I was so moody this morning.

Trying to simmer my thoughts down, I avoided looking at _her _and resumed eating my chicken nuggets.

Truth be told, it didn't work.

I whipped my head back to her. She was giggling amongst her friends, pointing at Deidara, though _he _didn't even notice her eyes boring holes into his skull.

Kami, what an idiot he is. Glancing back to the freshman, my eyes instinctively started to narrow. _Calm down, Tomomi, _I told myself, rubbing my temples.

"Hey, Dei-Dei," the freshman hollered, grinning at Deidara as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He grinned back, watching her go.

"What, Tomomi, un? You _jealous_, yeah?" Deidara asks, raising a smug eyebrow at me. I scowl at him in distaste.

"What the f*ck? No, I'm not,"

He smirks, "Denial,"

The last of my nerves snap as I narrow my eyes at him. "_Shut up_, Deidara; I've had enough of your bullsh*t to last a f*cking_ lifetime_, and I don't need any _more _of it!" I sneer, storming away from the table, a now empty tray in hand. Call me dramatic, but I honestly feel like I should get away.

An all-too familiar pang of pain washed through my stomach and the bottom of my back.

Oh, sh*t.

I rush away, holding a hand to my stomach. I only needed to rush to the comfort room to confirm it. _Please, _I plead to Kami-sama. _Please let it be a small stomachache from eating too fast!_

Rushing out of the cafeteria, I was about to dash to the comfort room, someone just _had _to grab my arm. "Tomomi," Deidara says, tightening his grip on me.

"What do you want?" I demand, dragging him and myself through the masses of my fellow peers. "I-I—Are you upset, un? 'Cause, no offence, but you look more pissed than you usually are."

"I am _not _upset!" I exclaim, appalled that my voice sounded so high-pitched. It came off as merely a shriek. "Oh, really; you're not upset," Deidara muttered, with sarcasm lacing his tone.

I roll my eyes, but promptly stop once I feel a pang of pain wash over me again. "Look, _Deidara_, this _isn't _the best time to sit back, relax, and slowly talk things _over_,"

"And why not, hmm? In _my _opinion, it's the _perfect _time to set things clear, yeah. Why are you so upset, un?"

_Because you don't have the human decency to let me go to the girls' comfort room, _I hissed in my mind. "No, it is _not_. I have something (extremely) urgent to do," I say, trying to calm myself. Whipping my head back to the crowded hall in front of me, I mentally cursed some sod slowly walking right in front of me.

_B*tch, walk _faster_!_

One more wave of pain crashed over my stomach and my lower back, prompting me to whip Deidara's hand off of my arm and hurriedly push my way through the hall.

The dull ache took its toll on me, as I instantly noticed my skin paling and shivers crawling down my spine. Grabbing my lower back, I try to rub the pain away, rushing in the comfort room.

_F*ck my life._

**Any girl who has gone through puberty, or is **_**going **_**through puberty **_**definitely **_**knows this. This is a monthly 'gift' from Mother Nature that all women on earth will have/already has and what many OCs in fanfiction lack. So there you go. Tomomi **_**is **_**human, **_**and **_**a female, ne? You can only imagine how moody she is now. Haha~**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. I apologize if this chapter wasn't exactly up to par with the previous ones. Gomenasai~ I'll try to update with longer chapters, yeah?**

**P.P.S. **_**Please **_**review! Hey, all y'all readers. Reviews can really motivate and inspire a person to update faster, yo. Haha~**


	37. Chapter 37: Taking Flight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Taking Flight

_Clack._

I throw my bag on the floor, flopping on my bed. _Fabulous timing, _I thought, heaving a sigh. This evening, I'll be getting into the limo, get dropped off at the airport, and hop in a plane to New York. Just so Aunt Chizu can show Sakura off—if she finds her in time; Aunt Chizu just brings me along for the heck of it. Groaning in pain, I glare at the fire engine red suitcase glaring at me. Dread filled my insides at the thought of being stuck in an airplane for roughly 13 hours straight. Kami, not to mention the horrid state I'm in. School was hell, with Deidara repeatedly trying to corner me and 'set things straight, un'. Other than that, the cramps were really getting to me.

I roll on my back, staring at the bland white ceiling above me. All I had honestly wanted to do was crawl up into a ball and sleep, but I had matters that needed to be attended to; like getting ready, for one.

Crawling to the floor, I reach for my suitcase and for the plastic bag on my desk. Putting in the combination, I unzip it and search for an open space for more things. Pulling a jumbo pack of sanitary pads out, I shoved it in, reclosing my suitcase.

It was time to get ready, much to my dismay. Not that I minded being clean; I merely disliked the fact that I was probably going to get cramps in the shower.

A few minutes of procrastinating later, I was in the bathroom at last.

…Another fifteen or so minutes later, I finally finished my shower. Immediately, I felt _so _much better. Throwing my wardrobe open, I stared at the multiple stacks of different clothing. I decide on donning a pair of army green skinny jeans, a brown single-strapped blouse, my black and green Nikes and a black leather jacket.

Flopping back on my bed, I glance around my room, making sure it was ready to be left alone. It usually was, really. Since Aunt Chizu went travelling fairly often, she'd take Sakura and me, except for when it's not convenient, like during weekdays and such.

Digging my phone out of my brown leather bag, I unlock its keypad and call Gaara. _"Hello?" _I hear him say.

"Hey, Gaara,"

"_T-Tomomi! Hey, what's up?"_

"Tonight's my flight to New York."

"_Oh. When'll you get back?"_

"I leave for Konoha, Sunday night. I'm not sure what time I'll get back, though. I _honestly _doubt I'll make it to school in time, though."

"_So when can we meet up?"_

"Dude, I don't really know. Maybe the usual—"

"_No, t-that's not really w-what I meant. I meant that—"_

_Knock, knock._

"Just a sec," I groan to both Gaara and the one knocking on the door. Another several knocks follow shortly after. "_Okay_! Okay, I'm _coming_," I hiss, rubbing my lower back as I waddle uncomfortably towards the door, hunching my back.

Kami, I feel old.

I heave a sigh before opening the door. At the door was the main housekeeper, looking at me disdainfully. Fine, housekeeper; glare at me all you want, I'm glaring back.

So I glared at her, raising an eyebrow.

I never really got her name… All of these years of living in the manor and I never got her name because I, frankly, didn't give a f*ck. Today was no different.

_And not a single f*ck was given that day._

"_Yes_?" I snap at her. Her features displayed a look of slight surprise for a few several seconds before her face scrunched up to its usual sour look. "If you're _ready_, the _limo _is _waiting _for you," she said, enunciating every second word with venom.

"I'll call you later," I tell Gaara, making my way to my bags. I pull the handle out, pulling it past the housekeeper and carrying it down the stairs.

In the limo, I gave my baggage to the driver and slid in the limo. To my surprise, it was empty. "Where's Aunt Chizu?" I ask him.

"Ah, she's already on the way to the airport, miss."

"Oh. Thanks," And with that, we sped away from the manor.

xXx

Ah, the Konoha Airport. It's the only one in Konoha, as surprising as it is. Pushing my cart down the crowded airport, the place had a clean, business-like scent to it. Truth be told, I felt kind of out-of-place here, especially when nobody's with me.

It's weird how you can be in an airport full of people and yet, you still feel alone.

Out of nowhere, a pang of loneliness engulfed my heart. Heaving yet _another _sigh, I couldn't help but feel alone. _What's _wrong _with me?_

After doing the necessary procedures, I was in the private jet waiting area, well before the schedule. I used this as an opportunity to buy sweets from a nearby stall, shoving them as deep in my bag as I could. Chances are, Aunt Chizu's jet would be sugar and fat-free. Well, just the _food _in general.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Sakura looking out the full-sized window, where you could see the planes taking off and landing on the runway. Making my way to her, I made sure that my snacks were concealed within the deepest, darkest corners of my bag.

Without a word, I awkwardly stood behind her. Kami, I hope I didn't look like some stalker or something.

A few minutes later, Aunt Chizu didn't bother to glance at us as she strode past us to the entrance leading down to the runway. I followed, sneaking a quick glance at Sakura. Her face was pale, and her emerald green eyes seemed hollow. Almost longingly, I notice her gazing at the other planes with sadness. Suddenly, she locks her gaze with mine and her eyes widen. I look away, walking more quickly.

xXx

Once we board the plane, I take a seat in the back, nearest to the comfort room. Glancing out at the night sky, not a single cloud was in sight. Red lights blinking in the sky were unable to blend in with the white stars, which were trying their hardest to show their light in Konoha's smog.

Getting comfortable, I set my back at my feet for convenient snack eating. Pulling my phone and earphones out, I skim through the selection of songs in the music player.

_No_, it is _not Airplanes_. Neither is it _Empire State of Mind_.

Instead, I tuned the world out to _Carolyn_, buckling in my seatbelt. Looking out the window as the plane slowly made its way down the runway, I narrow my eyes slightly.

_Bring it on, New York._

**Bam! Here's as fast as I could complete it. I mean, **_**every **_**time I went on the computer the past few weeks, my fanfiction writing time's **_**always **_**cut short! It's not even on **_**purpose**_**! Anyways, I hope y'all liked this chapter. Read and review! I'll try to post sooner, I swear.**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Thank you for reading!**

**P.P.S. I **_**know **_**it's weird when OCs don't have their periods. No periods equals no ovaries. No ovaries equals the inability to have babies. Yet, they always manage to get pregnant so easily. Haha~**


	38. Chapter 38: The Gala

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The Gala

"…Excuse me? Miss Hayashi, it's time to get up." A voice softly said. Slowly, I was shook from my sleep. Sitting up, I wince at the fact that I hadn't slept comfortably. My neck painfully cracked, as I sat straight up in my seat, feeling my head ache. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I glanced up at the person beside me. It was the sole stewardess. (Why did Aunt Chizu even bother hiring a stewardess?)

"We're landing in New York in a few minutes," Sleepily, I nodded in acknowledgement, fumbling around for my bag. Sneaking a glance at Aunt Chizu and Sakura, they seemed as if they received a full night's rest, wearing different outfits than the one they wore in Konoha. Making sure none of my belongings were accidentally left in the plane, I kept all of my things before I adjusted my seatbelt slightly, noticing how tight it was. _Kami, was this the way I slept all night?_

Slumping back in my seat, I lifted up the closed window, squinting at the flood of sunlight that seized my eyes. I felt uncomfortable, shifting in my seat. I just _needed _to go to the bathroom, as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we were about to land, so I couldn't exactly do that.

Heaving a sigh, I glanced out of the window, seeing a city with countless buildings, covered in smog.

xXx

The JFK airport was crowded, filled with numerous businessmen, anxious families, tourists and so many others. Aunt Chizu had someone push her and Sakura's carts, with their numerous Louis Vuitton bags on it. I stayed behind, shuffling behind them, pulling my own trolley bag. After what seemed like a long time, we reached the exit, and I finally got a whiff of that New York air. It was definitely more different than Konoha, I'll tell you that.

Konoha had much more trees, and the streets weren't so crowded with busy people. The air in Konoha had fresh, crisp air, albeit how busy it was. I glanced around, taking in the immediate surroundings. There were plenty of cars, either picking people up or dropping them off. A black Mercedes stopped in front of us smoothly.

_I guess this is our ride, _I thought, pushing the handle back into my trolley bag, pulling my handbag up my shoulder. A chauffer got out, helping us with the luggage as Aunt Chizu, Sakura and I slipped in the car.

The first thing I noticed was that it smelled like men's cologne and had sleek, black leather seats. It had a really masculine aura to it. The chauffer got in and began to drive into the city without a word. In the middle of the ride, I felt another wave of pain crashing upon my stomach and my lower back. Inconspicuously, I pull my bag to my stomach, frowning.

I couldn't _wait _to get to the hotel, so I can finally use the bathroom. We _better _get there _soon_. I glare at the chauffer, casually checking out some chick in a short dress, waiting in the traffic. _Hurry up! _I hiss, clenching my fists.

xXx

As soon as I get into my fancy-schmancy room in our fancy-schmancy suite in the ever-so fancy-schmancy Waldorf Astoria Hotel, I rush in with my trolley bag, locking the door. Rummaging for my key in my handbag, I hurriedly unlock the red suitcase and pull the sanitary pads out, _literally _ripping one out.

The fact that I _also _really had to pee didn't help.

The _other _fact that my cramps were making me insane probably didn't help either.

Rushing in the bathroom, I lock the door and do my business.

_Knock, knock._

"_F*ck off_," I hiss, scowling at whoever may be behind the bedroom door.

"Miss Tomomi," a person spoke, mispronouncing my name. How the _f*ck _do you mispronounce something as easy as '_Tomomi_'? It's not 'Toe-Moe May'. B*tch, it's 'To-mo-mi'; the way it's _f*cking _spelled. _Get it right._

"I'm busy!" I say, hiding the irritation and anger in my tone. "It's _urgent_!" I roll my eyes. _And _this _isn't? Woman, I am in the _bathroom_._ "Okay!" I yell, flushing the toilet and pulling my blouse out of my pants. Storming out of the room, I threw the door open.

(Well, I didn't _literally _throw the door open.)

"_Yes_?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at her. "Madam Chizu needs to talk to you. It's _urgent_," I nodded, walking past her to the spacious living room. "Yes, Aunt Chizu?"

Aunt Chizu glanced up from her china cup of Darjeeling tea, frowning at me slightly at the mention of the word 'aunt'. As soon as I noticed her expression of dismay, it was gone, and her features hardened, as per usual. "I'm taking you and Sakura shopping for dresses to wear at the _Fashion Forward _gala tonight. I suggest you," her emerald eyes skimmed my clothes. "_Ahem_, change into something somewhat decent to be out in public in." She glanced out at the window slowly, looking 'elegantly stoic'.

"You may go now," she says, still looking out the window. Turning away and heading for the room, I roll my eyes. Locking the door, I flop on the soft, white bed.

Promptly, I had a fit, then and there. Thank _Kami_ the door was looked. I must've looked like an absolute _retard_, flailing my arms to and fro like that. After my hysterics ended, my head began pounding and my stomach began to hurt. Squirming in pain, I glanced up to see that my suitcase was a few good feet away from me.

_No, _I whine. _I don't want to get up! I just want to sleep the weekend away! _I frown, rubbing my lower back. _Kami, I need an Advil._

I didn't want to get up, so I didn't. Instead, I rolled off the bed and dropped onto floor, crawling to my suitcase yet again. Sighing to myself, I pull out rolled-up black skinny jeans, a white button-up shirt and a gray tweed jacket, and a pair of black pumps. Crawling back to my bed with my clothes in my arms, I throw them on and (achingly) crawl to the bathroom.

I felt _so _sleepy. Mid-way to the bathroom, I slowly got up, rubbing my back. I felt _so _old. And even _worse_; I felt like the freakin' hunchback of Notre Dame. I wonder if Aunt Chizu will contemplate on keeping me in the hotel if I keep on walking with my back hunched like this. Walking around with my back hunched eased the pain on my stomach, but it made my back hurt like a b*tch.

I slip my shoes off by the bathroom door, pulling my socks off. I tiptoe in the cool marble bathroom, wincing at the sudden cold on my skin. As much as I can try to stall, I'd have to take a bath anyway. Frowning under the cold water, I fumble around with the controls, shivering when the water became colder and yelping when it became hot.

xXx

"Don't hold back," A clerk whispered to me, giving me a playful nudge. I chuckle, feeling sheepish at the gesture, awkwardly looking at the plethora of clothes in this so-called 'Barneys'.

'Barneys'; I honestly half-expected Barney the dinosaur to come out of nowhere and start singing and dancing along with random kids, hiding within the clothing racks. Rubbing my temples, I walk around, searching for an interesting rack out of the numerous others. A dark, navy blue color catches my eye, amongst a rack filled with white clothes. Stopping mid-step, I make my way to it and curiously examine its fabric. I pull it out of its place on the rack with one hand, rubbing my stomach with the other. It's laced with floral, uh, lace, and a ribbon with a bow is tied around the waist.

The simplicity of the dress sparked my interest, as I anxiously searched around it for its size. _Oh, _I thought, as my face fell. The dress was a few sizes smaller than me. Gathering my courage up together, I ask a clerk, "Excuse me, do you have this in a bigger size?"

'Why do you need to muster up your courage just to ask a question?' you ask? Truth be told, asking for a bigger size makes me feel as if I'm… _fat_. Yeah, _there_, I _said it_. Normally, I wouldn't give a flying f*ck about such unimportant things, but sometimes, I just can't help but feel conscious about what I look like.

Glancing in a nearby mirror, I hurriedly (and nervously) fix my hair for a few seconds before following the clerk to where other dresses may be.

Once we got there, I grabbed a few dresses each a size larger than the other and shuffled in the dressing room. Trying them on, I finally find one that fits me perfectly. Skipping out of the dressing rooms, I grin as I walk through the shoes department, and I settle on a pair of metallic red platform pumps. On my way to the cashier, I see Sakura out of the corner of my eye, surrounded with pairs of shoes. Rolling my eyes, I pay for the clothes and I decide to walk around before we go back to the hotel.

xXx

"Hello, Chizu, it's absolutely _lovely _to see you here," A blond greets us, flashing a (fake) grin at us. Aunt Chizu returns the gesture with one (fake) grin of her own. "Good evening, Darla. You look _absolutely stunning _tonight!" Darla compliments, gesturing at Aunt Chizu's midnight blue frock, taking a sip of white wine out of her glass. Sakura rolled her eyes, scanning the crowd for familiar faces.

"Sakura! How wonderful to see you. It's been _ages_," A voice exclaims from behind Sakura and I. We both turn to face as Sakura's face scrunches up in distaste.

_It's that Stacey chick from England, _I thought, raising a brow at her (questionable) dress. It was short in length and was incredibly snug on her, probably intending to 'enhance' whatever 'curves' she has. Well, truth be told, there _are_ no 'curves'. Last time I was at a dinner with her, she barely touched whatever food was on her plate. She had long, brown hair then, but it was now a blunt black bob. She pursed her alarmingly red lips at us, looking 'elegantly stoic', trying to maintain her 'calm, cool and collected' demeanor.

LOLJK, last time I saw her, she pushed me over the edge so much, I _literally _had to refrain myself from socking that stupid little upturned nose in that stupid Botox-injected, sad, pathetic excuse for a _face_.

Do you _know _what pissed me off so much? The entire _week _I spent there, Stacey and her f*cking supermodel friends would take criticizing jabs at me.

'_Nice bags under your eyes!' _I recall Stacey sneering at me. _'_Thanks_, they're f*cking designer!' _I had snapped back, holding the shopping bags in my hands under my eyes.

_B*tch._

I inhale deeply and let go of my breath. _Calm down, Tomomi. It's _all _in the past. Who knows? Maybe she's changed for the better—_

"Ah, if it _isn't _Tomomi? My, my; it seems as if you've _gained _over the time since we've seen each other last," Stacey taunts, raising one of her 'natural' (fake) bushy brows at me. "At least _I _have something to show in this dress, Stacey. Unlike your twig-like physique," I roll my eyes.

She narrows her eyes at me, putting a hand over her (non-existent) hip. "_I'll _have you know that _I _am dating one of the richestmen in New York!"

_Cool story, bro._

I feign a look of shock. "You've stooped so low as to date with old, gray men? To think that you're _just _about my age,"

She presses her lips together, as if searching for a (good enough) comeback. _Bring it on, b*tch. _Refusing to waste my time, I nonchalantly reply, "You've sure been thinking long enough. I'll save you the trouble and pressure on that poor little brain, since I've got to go do something _actually _worth my time. _Sayonara_," Waving a hand at her with a small smirk, I stride away, feeling my legs slightly quiver.

I had never insulted her _that _much, until now. I grin, walking to the table serving food. Taking a plate off of a stack, I grab random hors d'oeuvres, slightly feeling alone. Consciously, I slowly cease taking the finger foods, wary that others may be looking at me. Biting my lip, I glance around for an empty area to eat my food in.

In each direction I turn to, I see people in lavish suits and dresses. As I glanced up for a second at the massive chandelier overhead, my eyes land straight ahead in the direction of the balcony seconds shortly after. Full-length glass doors were thrown open to the balcony, which was decorated with sparkling lights.

I awkwardly walk across the room, making sure none of the hors d'oeuvres fall onto the fancy-schmancy carpeted floor.

Once I'm out, I'm greeted with the fresh air, along with a tinge of a smoky scent. Walking to one isolated corner, I carefully place my plate on the railing, making sure it didn't fall as I continued holding onto it with a firm grip.

Heaving a sigh, I take in the breathtaking scene of New York City, with colorful lights dotting the far stretches of Manhattan. On the streets, I see countless taxis and cars, stuck in the traffic on the way home.

"Headlice Hayashi? Tomomi, is that _you_?" I stiffen at the childhood moniker, bestowed unto me by Sakura during my childhood. Slowly, I turn to face the person uttering the much unappreciated nickname. Promptly, my eyes widen, and my heart skips a beat.

"Sho…"

**Haha! Cliffhanger! Sorry for the late update. Whenever I get on the computer, someone or something **_**always **_**manages to get me off of it, out of obligation. Please review? What did you think about this chapter? It's longer, ne? Thanks to all who've reviewed the last chapter!**

**~JellyDonut16~**

**P.S. Remember **_**Sho**_**?**


	39. Chapter 39: City of Lights

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

City of Lights

"…Sho?" I hear myself utter in pure surprise. There he was, standing right before me after not seeing him in, what, two or three years?

Lo and behold, I stood there, gaping at the boy I once had an unbelievably massive crush on. With his trademark mop a little longer than when I saw him last, his electrifying blue eyes seemed to be bluer than ever. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his pants as he gave me a smirk I used to know so well.

"Damn, Tomomi!" He exclaims, stepping closer to me, with a grin stretching out from nearly ear to hear, flashing his pearly white teeth at me. "Wow, you're _beautiful_," Almost immediately, my cheeks reddened. _W-What the f*ck?_

Okay, so this _probably_ isn't the reaction you'd have expected, but _still_; what would _you _do if your _first ever _childhood crush—whom you've just seen after _years_— casually called you out by the _stupid _nickname you were once taunted with, and promptly, he nonchalantly declares you're '_beautiful_'?

Mind-f*ck, right?

And, _dear Kami-sama_, it did _not _help that he's gotten _hotter _since I last saw him! Truth be told, the moment I saw his electrifying and melting stare, I was like, "Woah!"

Maybe it's the man-makeup; maybe it's puberty.

Chances are, it's probably a little bit of both.

"S-Sho," I manage to choke out, mentally b*tch-slapping myself. What the hell, why can't I think straight? Is his name _really _all I can utter when in his presence? Did his ever-radiating hotness melt my brain or something?

"Hi," I mutter, sheepishly straightening myself. Licking my lips, I scramble around for something to say; preferably something relatively intelligible; not his name, either! My eyes glance about, before they land on the plate of hors d'oeuvres in my hand.

I offer the plate to him, turning to look at the busy city below me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him grab one of the plate and take bite out of it, before turning to me, "How've you been these days?"

I shrug, taking one off the plate as well. "I've been, uh, okay… I'm just so busy lately, is all; how about you?"

"Well, other than moving to California after sixth grade, I've been doing well. It just gets kinda old…"

"What does?" I reply. He shrugs, glancing at me quickly before turning to the city. "The stupid, useless galas, the fashion shows, the anti-fun parties, and the occasional delusional teenage chick, stalking me. It gets old really fast,"

I snort, "You have a delusional stalker?" He looked sheepish, "I _did_,"

"What happened to her?"

"Rehab," I raise my eyebrows at this. Taking a bite out of the appetizer, I nearly choke at the questionable taste. Sho tosses his out of the balcony, taking mine and tossing it down. "It tastes horrible, right?" He asks, grinning at me. I nod in agreement, glancing at the plate of the hors d'oeuvres.

"C'mon," he says, pulling my hand and pulling me towards the door. "What're you doing?" I exclaim. He takes the plate out of my hands, setting it down on a table strewn with cigarette butts, empty wine glasses and half-empty plates. "We're ditching this place," he says, giving me a mischievous smirk that sets my heart aflutter.

But still; '_ditching _this place'?

LOL no.

I pull away from him, standing steady in my place, "I can't," The words roll off my tongue in a weird fashion, but I meant it, nonetheless.

"Why not? You scared of a little danger, Tomomi?" Sho teases, flirtatiously winking at me. I blush, "O-Of course not!" I attempt to scoff, averting his electrifying gaze. _How can anyone's eyes be so melting, yet so freezing at the same time?_

I clear my throat, shaking my head slightly. He nudges me on the shoulder, "Come on, you're in the city that _never sleeps_, and you're stuck in this room, filled with people we _both _know we hate. You don't want to miss out on this,"

Alternating my glances between the floor and his eyes, I contemplate in deep thought. _What if it's time for dinner? What if Aunt Chizu finds out if I sneak out? What if I get back, and Aunt Chizu and Sakura left already? How much trouble will I get into? Can I stay in my room for the duration?_

My thoughts then wandered to things that were more irrelevant.

_Kami-sama, I'm hungry. Those hors d'oeuvres tasted like crap. If I sneak out, where will we eat? Should I stuff my face in like I want to, or starve myself to keep my cool? Wait, why would I need to keep my cool in the first place? I don't give a f*ck about him! Well, not anymore, I don't._

Yet amongst all of these thoughts, something inside me challenged me to test the waters and push the boundaries out of pure curiosity if I still felt something for him. Chances are, I didn't; after I graduated from middle school, I've lost my interest in him, refusing to do anything of the romantic sort with boys. I still had my doubts then, and I was finally going to test them out now.

"Ah, f*ck it; let's ditch this place," I hear myself say, as we swiftly made our way through the dapperly-dressed crowd, trying not to look suspicious. My emerald eyes nervously darted around the room for a platinum blond and a pink-haired girl my age. Fortunately, they were nowhere to be seen around me, as I spotted them in one far end of the room, mingling with the socialites.

"That's the spirit," Sho says, grinning at me, lightly punching me on the arm.

xXx

We dart out of the building, hurrying down the stairs like juveniles as I totter around in my pumps. Times like these make me wish I had worn sneakers for comfort, or flats at the very least. "Where shall we eat, madam?" Sho asks, bowing and stretching his open palm to me, inviting me to take his hand. I rub my hand against the patterned fabric of my dress, looking at him sheepishly. His eyes widen and he looks slightly taken aback and confused. I clear my throat. "How about we walk around and look for some place to eat?"

"Sure," Sho mutters, shoving his hands in his pockets. We walk down the street, looking at the numerous street lights, which were stunning. "We need to go to the subway, I know this place downtown that has _amazing _pizza," he says, grabbing my wrist.

We talk and laughed on the way to the amazing-pizza-place, enjoying seeing different people on our way there. There were so many people from different lands and of different cultures; it's like seeing the entire world right in front of your eyes. I guess it's a small world after all.

The amazing-pizza-place was apparently called 'Joe's Pizza', and was situated in 7 Carmine Street. The pizzeria had an old look to it, and as soon as Sho ushered me inside, I got a whiff of pizza that instantly made my stomach growl out in hunger. "It smells good in here," I say, looking at the surrounding area. It wasn't too big, and thankfully, it wasn't too crowded, either.

We go to the counter and order a large pepperoni pizza, and two cans of Coke. I took my wallet out, but he stopped me from paying. "Don't worry, I got this," he says, nodding towards an empty table. I make my way to the table, bringing the plastic forks and knives, paper plates and the Coke and set it on the table.

He sat across me, setting the giant white box of pizza in front of us. We began to eat, as I savored the rich flavor of the pizza. Only then I realized how hungry I was. "See? We wouldn't have been able to eat this awesome pizza if you decided to stay at that stupid gala," Sho says, rolling his eyes. He flips his brown hair out of his eyes briefly, grinning at me. "Pass me the hot sauce?"

"Sure," I reply, handing the Tabasco sauce over to him. "So, Tomomi,"

I glance up from my plate of pizza. "Yeah?"

"Has anybody caught your eye yet?" he asks, winking at me. I feel heat rise up to my cheeks, flustered at the question that just _popped up_ out of nowhere that he had asked me. "W-What?" I manage to sputter out, racking my mind quickly for some kind of intelligible answer.

There was _no _way I was going to tell him about that baka Deidara, _no_.

"N-Nope; nobody's really caught my eye," I lie smoothly, sprinkling oregano on my slice of pizza. "Really?" he says, skeptically raising an eyebrow at me.

_**"I've got a secret; it's on the tip of my tongue, it's on the back of my lungs and I'm going to keep it. I know something you don't know."**_

I hurry and pull my phone out of my clutch. _Well, speak of the devil. _I thought, narrowing my eyes at the caller ID. "Just one sec," I say to Sho, before answering my phone.

"What do you want?" I demand, turning away from the person in front of me.

"_Gee, how f*cking nice, un." _Deidara sneers, with his tone laced and dripping with sarcasm. _"I just wanted to see what you were up to, yeah! Did you eat lunch yet?"_

"No, I'm eating dinner."

"_What kind of person eats dinner so early, hmm? It's barely past one."_

"Thing is, I'm _not _in Japan, you baka."

"Who's that?" Sho asks, looking slightly concerned.

"_Who was that?" _Deidara echoed, with his tone getting slightly defensive. "I'm just having dinner with a… a-an old friend."

"_So i-it's like a _date _or something?"_

"_What_? No! Leave me alone, I'm kind of busy right now."

"_No way, un! I just finished working out and I have all the time in the world. I want to meet the lucky bastard, yeah!"_

"You didn't even meet him yet, but you're insulting him? How low can you go?"

"_Low enough to make you want me, hmm," _Deidara drawls, as I can practically hear the smirk in his voice. "You pervert! When I get back, I am _so _going to kick your ass!"

Sho snatches the phone from me, putting it to his ear, "Hello, Tomomi's not available right now. She's too busy having dinner with me. Call later, when maybe, she'll give a sh*t, bro,"

With that, Sho hung up on him, calmly setting the phone on the table. I grin at him, "Ooh, burn!"

He shrugs, "I just got a talent in me, I guess."

"A talent for what?"

"I've got a talent for knowing how to deal with these types of people. It comes with practice, I guess. I've been around these uptight people for so long, I just say what I want, and I don't care about what anybody else thinks."

_**"I've got a secret; it's on the tip of my tongue, it's on the back of my lungs—**_" Sho pops open the battery case and pulls the battery right out. "H-Hey!" I exclaim, fully aware how damaging pulling the phone battery right out without properly shutting it down can be. He smiles sheepishly.

xXx

We soon finish up our pizza, and we walk out of the pizzeria, the scent of pizza leaving my nose and the distinct smoky smell of the city replacing it instead. "What time is it?" I ask Sho.

He checks the leather watch strapped on his left wrist, "Uh, I guess it's about ten sixteen right no—"

"Oh, no!" I exclaim, running a hand through my hair. "We've got to hurry back, and fast! O-Or else, I'll _totally _get in trouble—"

"Chill, Tomomi. You're in New York, the city that _never sleeps_; let loose and live a little."

'Chill'? If there's anything I'm not at the moment, it's 'chill'. If Aunt Chizu finds out I've snuck out of the gala, I'm _dead_. "No, no, no; you _don't _understand! I-If my aunt finds out I'm gone, I am in _big _trouble," I say, striding down the street.

Sho shakes his head, sending his hair to fly over his face. "You should stop stressing so much," he says, holding my wrist. "C'mon, let's go catch the sub back to Houston Street."

"Yeah," I say, rubbing my temples. I rush as fast as I can in heels, wishing I had put on something easier to walk in. Tonight did _not _go the way I had expected. I had expected to argue with Stacey, sit at dinner in pain, glare and shoot snide remarks at Stacey at the table, finish dinner, and resume arguing with Stacey. Don't forget sulking and being all alone in between.

When it's our stop, he pulls me up the stairs, laughing. "C'mon, hurry up!"

"I'm trying to! It's not exactly to walk, let alone run up the stairs in these shoes, you know?" I retort, rubbing my back. He rolls his eyes, chuckling.

The moment we walked in, everybody was preparing to leave, with some who have already left. I saw Aunt Chizu talking to someone by the bar, and Sakura, right beside her.

"Ahah! Where have you been?" Stacey sneers, glaring at me. What're you, my aunt? I used the word 'aunt' …Because I don't really have a mother anymore.

I mentally sob at the revelation I've know my whole life for a moment. Even though I know it, every time I think of it, the grief hits me like a train at full speed. "We just went to get some actual food, Stacey," Sho answers, sneering at her. "F*ck off,"

Stacey's eyes narrow to the size of thick black slits. She whips to face me, pointing at me accusingly, "Wait 'til I tell _everyone _that you two sneaked out… together!"

Kami, what a f*cking hypocrite. "There isn't going to be any of that, Stacey, unless you want me to tell your new catch—poor man, that you've been cheating on him with one of my friends."

Woah, not _only _is she a hypocrite, she's a whore, too. She puts her hands on her hips, sneers at us and saunters away.

She stops dead in her tracks, whipping her head to face us, giving us death glares, "This is _not _over," she hisses, before she continues to sashay in the direction of a wall, which we were facing, just so Stacey can look cool. My head, stomach, and back ache at the mere thought of being yet another victim of her dreadful b*tchery.

I turn to Sho, "Thanks for the dinner and the company; I really enjoyed it," I say, smiling at him. I start to head towards Aunt Chizu, until Sho stops me. "Wait," he calls out.

"Yeah?"

"About that guy on the phone… don't let him get to you,"

"Don't worry, I won't."

He smiles at me, prompting me to smile back. "Have a good night, Tomomi. It's nice seeing you again."

Let's just say, to my dismay, the moment I got in my room, I flopped on the bed and squealed into the pillows.

**Sorry for the late update! I was on vacation and I couldn't go on the computer. Other than that, I had writer's block for a while. I tried my best to make this chapter enjoyable and I hope it is! Thank you to the readers who've stuck with my story from the start and hello to my new readers! Don't hesitate to drop a review; I love hearing from you! And receiving all of this support from you makes me want to write longer, better chapters! I hope this chapter reaches around 390 reviews.**

**~jellydonut16~**

**P.S. Tell me what you think is going to happen in the latter chapters!**


	40. Chapter 40: What You See

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

What You See Is What You Don't Get

This morning, I awoke with—surprise, surprise—a smile on my face. It was quite odd to see me grinning madly like Kankuro, whenever he plays with his puppets (dolls); especially since I'm in 'that time of month', and because Deidara had apparently decided to prank call me in the ass-crack of dawn.

Disgruntled, I was just _one second _away from giving my most irritated (and most likely best) scream into the phone that anyone could ever muster once being awakened unpleasantly at the ungodly hours of the morn. But once I noticed the slur in his voice and the nonsense words, it hit me that he was as drunk as hell.

As crazy and unlikely as it seemed, my brain managed to hatch an idea; it was a silly one, but an idea nonetheless. I was going to pull a little prank of my own, on his own expense. Smirking, I replied, "What do you want, _idiot_? You woke me up at such an ungodly hour, for your information,"

"_Talk dirty to me, hmm!"_ He drunkenly slurred, his words mashing up together. I bit back a chuckle, thinking of a clever reply; and _fast_. My mind hatched an idea; I sure as hell didn't like it, but I'm sure it'd pay off, right?

"Deidara, you want me to talk _dirty_ to you?" I gasped in a mockingly sweet tone; to the sober, it'd come across as fake and sarcastic, but Deidara's _way_ too drunk for that.

"_F*ck, yes!"_ He suddenly cackled out. _Could he be stoned too?_

"Gosh, Deidara, I don't know what to say… or _how_ I'll be able to explain," I whispered in that pathetic, whiny tone his fangirls use on him. Shuddering, I mentally reminded myself that I'll have to punch something (or some_one_) to make up for the human decency I lost.

"Just say it_!"_ His tone prompted me to frown bitterly.

"Mud," I said, letting all that pent-up anger out.

"_What?"_ Deidara sputtered out.

"Are you deaf? _F*cking mud_," I said, feeling somewhat triumphant. "You wanted me to talk dirty, I talked dirty. _Goodbye_, Deidara." And with that, I hung up, slamming my phone onto the bed as if doing a touchdown.

"Yeah, son! Take _that_, you motherf*cker!" I couldn't help but yell. But seriously, thought, can you blame me?

Sitting up on the bed with a grin evident on my face, I raise my arms up above my head and shake them wildly. _Sure_, he sure as hell may not even remember it when he's sober, but his reaction was _priceless_, if I do say so myself.

I slid off the bed, doing a victory dance. It may not even count as a legible win, but hey! I got him good, didn't I?

Getting ready, I put on a pair of black leggings, a short dark grey skirt, a white sweater and a grey beanie. Slipping into a pair of black suede ankle-high boots, I stalk out of the room and into the dining area.

Instantly, my eyes widened upon seeing a certain someone there, busily munching on blueberry waffles. "Morning!" Sho greets, his blue eyes twinkling. It momentarily knocked some breath out of me before I regain my composure.

I bow down slightly, "Ohayogozaimasu, Aunt Chizu; Sho…" I look at the flustered looking guy in his early-twenties, scrolling down an iPad. He suddenly pauses and glances up at me, "Joel; my name is Joel."

"Ohayogozaimasu, Joel-san."

I awkwardly sit next to Sho. "I haven't eaten waffles in a while. These taste _so good_," Sho rambled, grinning lopsidedly. I blush, resisting the urge to glomp him. _Kami, there's even blueberry jam all over his lips!_

"Choose what you want," Aunt Chizu says, glancing down at her organizer. I cautiously grab the black leather-bound menu on the middle of the table, flipping it to a random page. Coming across the lunch menu, I flip a few pages back. Truth be told, all I wanted was a bowl of Frosties. To my dismay, the hotel was too fancy to have such a staple, so I ordered a donut instead.

And, _Kami_, their donuts weren't even simple! The one I could find _closest _to a glazed donut was one glazed with pure organic honey from some exotic country. Another one had been glazed with 'the finest Belgian chocolate', 'topped with handpicked berries, specially selected by the chef'. In the end, I settled on a jelly donut (_with handmade berry jam_) and a glass of milk (_straight _from _New Zealand_!).

_Kami, this hotel's food is so simple._

Sense the sarcasm?

Once I get out of this place, I'll sneak away to find something so much more filling. Like nachos!

Sho turns to face me, wiping his mouth. "So, what's our plan for today?"

I raise an eyebrow at him, "_Our _plan… _today_?"

He looks at me in the same way everyone in school looks at Tobi, "Yes; our plan… Do you want to go to Central Park? I'll take you to the zoo. That or we could wander around Times Square, maybe go visit the Statue of Liberty after."

"I guess…?"

"Great! Let's finish up breakfast so we can leave already," He says, unafraid of Aunt Chizu's presence. Huh, it's probably because he's never been on the receiving end of one of her infamous glares or snide remarks. I give him a warning glare before ordering my donut.

It arrived _ten minutes later_. As the waiter cautiously placed the tray in front of me, he opened the lid to reveal a donut on a plate on a silver platter. I couldn't help but facepalm myself.

"Would you like some creamer with your milk?" Sho playfully asks, holding up a container of liquid creamer. I smile wryly, "No, I'll just have my milk from cows in New Zealand plain."

He taps my knee, "Let's get Subway after this," he mouths, looking bored. I shrug, grabbing the fork and knife that came with the donut. _F*ck that sh*t, _I thought, setting them back down and grabbing my donut and taking a bite, mentally chuckling at myself.

"_Manners_, Tomomi," Aunt Chizu sternly says, not even bothering to glance up at me. I stiffen, mentally slapping myself. In haste, I set it back down on the platter, using the fork and knife to eat. Mere seconds later, I was done. I downed the milk and pat my mouth on the napkin beside me. Sho stood up and so did I. He sends another grin in my direction, "You ready to go?"

I nod, grabbing my bag from beside the couch in the living room area. "I'll see you later, Chizu-san." Sho curtly says, earning a charming smile from her. We exited without another word. "So, let's get going!" Sho exclaims, jogging beside me. I chuckle, "Aren't we?"

"But we need to hurry up! I don't want to be stuck in this place! Ugh, I've been in more than my fair share of stupid posh hotels. It's just not my thing,"

I chuckle, "A _lot _of people would like to be in your position right now, you know?"

He shook his head, sending brown hair to fall over his eyes as we jogged down the blue carpeting. "Idiots," he mumbled under his breath.

Once we were outside, I took in the city atmosphere. It was busy with people, and the traffic was terrible. "Let's get something decent to eat," Sho says, smiling at me. I nod, following him as we swerved past numerous types of people.

After what I've seen, it's safe to say that I will never have kids. _How are they this bratty? _I thought to myself, watching a 12-something girl with her face caked in makeup talk about 'titty shots' with another kid. What the _hell _are these 'titty shots'?

…Does it involve liquor or something?

Huh, it must be one of those American things. Maybe they're like alcohol shots, in boob-shaped shot glasses! I mentally pat myself on the back, snickering to myself.

On a separate occasion, I saw a toddler fervently arguing with his mother. A _toddler_, _arguing _with his mother! Can he even _walk_?

I can't help but wince at his high-pitched shrieks. Sho looks at me, a small smile gracing his lips. "You're not used to this kind of thing, aren't you?"

Sheepishly, I shook my head as we approached a Subway restaurant. "You know, not everything in New York is as it seems. Sure, native New Yorkers may come off as rude, but they're more honest than the people in LA, from what I've experienced. They just don't butter you up just so they can see you fall."

We ordered our sandwiches before grabbing a seat by the windows. I shook my head slightly, as I couldn't help but think of Deidara and what he did to Mitsuki. Gulping, I stared at my food before answering, "Sounds like some of the people in my school. All they'll ever do is use you,"

He nods. "Exactly; that's why I don't like being around these types of people, which is _hard_, considering that my mom practically drags me to every Fashion Week or Fashion Whatever that comes up. Most of the kids our age are like that."

I chuckle, "So immature, yet they act so grown-up."

"But that's the way they were probably brought up to be," Sho adds, before biting into his food. "If so, acting like a brat must be the latest trend."

xXx

"This is _not _how I expected Central Park to be like," I say, taking in a deep breath as Sho and I walked through the park. "This place must be stunning in the autumn."

He kicks up a rock beneath him, "I've never really been in New York during autumn, but I've seen the pictures and it is _pretty damn _nice, I'll say."

We walk quietly, enjoying the scenery as the faint sound of birds chirping, people conversing and children's laughter echoed from all around me. It was like you couldn't even tell that it was in New York! That or we were just really deep in the park.

As we walked up to the zoo, I saw animals from the outside. I haven't really been to a zoo for a while. And by 'for a while', I meant that the last time I ever went to a zoo was when my… my parents were still alive.

A lump hitches in my throat as I hesitate to walk any further. A sudden feeling of sadness comes over me. I missed them, still, to this day. Sometimes, when I was younger, I would just stay awake in the middle of the night, wondering what my life would be like if mom and dad were still here…

'Mom' and 'dad' were such foreign words to me, much too weird to be able to roll off my tongue, and just plain queer for just thinking so.

"Tomomi, what's wrong?" Sho asks, appearing in front of me out of the blue. His concerned stare caused me to slip out of my haze, bringing me back to where I was now.

New York, USA.

"Nothing; I just remembered something," I quietly say as we walked in the zoo. The walk around the zoo was mostly quiet between us, with Sho occasionally cracking a joke about an animal's appearance and behavior.

As much as I tried to let the thought of them slip my mind, I knew deep inside that they weren't going to go away so easily. So I straightened myself up and put on the best smile I could muster at the moment.

"Aw, look at those cute widdle snow leopards! They're growling at each other menacingly!" Sho sarcastically gushed, clapping his hands together in a lovesick manner. I couldn't help but laugh. He throws his arms up in the air, "Finally! I've been trying to get a laugh out of you the entire time we've been here!"

He prompts me to laugh even more, so he continues ranting. "Where've you been at? Even when we went to go see the polar bears! They were _so kawaii_!"

Slapping his shoulder playfully, I shake his shoulders. "Stop it! You're making me laugh!" Sho smirked at me, flipping his hair to one side as his mischievous blue eyes shined brightly.

"Let's go see the birds, and we'll head to Times Square to eat at Mickey D's; what do you say?"

I nod, "Sounds good."

We eventually left the zoo and went to Times Square to find something to eat. The people were diverse, of different cultures and races. New York's trademark yellow cabs ran to and fro the streets. There were so many people on the streets, and so much traffic, it was unbelievable. And there it was; McDonald's in its golden, double-arched beauty.

Sho and I had a lunch of two double cheeseburger sandwiches, two large fries, and two large Cokes. "Om nom nom," Sho mutters, literally shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.

"Manners, Sho," I jokingly say, mocking Aunt Chizu from this morning. He snorts, "What, you want me to eat this with a fork and knife?"

I laugh, "That'd be pretty stupid."

"So is eating a jelly donut with a knife and fork. You know, that jam got everywhere."

Nonchalantly, I shrug my shoulders. Every so often, I would glance up and catch him staring at me. My breath hitched in my throat and my heart skipped a beat nearly every time.

Once we were finished eating, he and I left and decided to cross to the other side. In the middle of the street, I couldn't help but admire New York's diversity. It really was one of a kind, and it seemed _nothing _like Konoha.

Sure, Konoha had its busy moments, but it would never be as busy as _this_. I mean, _seriously_, _where _did this _massive _wave of people come from? You'd think that they came here to mob dance to 'Beat It' or something.

"Really is something, isn't it?" Sho whispers in my ear, prompting me to nod in response. "It's a chaotic, unruly mess, but I like it. It's life; it's the way people live. And nobody said life was going to be simple _or _easy."

"True that," he agrees, patting me on the shoulder.

"Sho… Who's _this_?" I hear from someone behind me. Turning to face the person speaking, it was a stunning blonde American with hazel eyes.

"A-Alison, what're _you _doing here?" Sho asks, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. She looks at him innocently, "I'm shopping. I'm stopping by New York before I go on my fashion tour around Europe. Who's _she_?"

Oh, truth be told, the nasal tone of her voice made me want to b*tch-slap her to hell and back. But I couldn't.

So I just did it in my mind.

I narrow my eyes at her slightly, "I'm an old friend; Tomomi; Tomomi. You?"

The corner of her lip quirks up into a smirk as she laced her fingers with his. "You didn't know? I'm his girlfriend, silly." She runs a hand up his arm. "It was… 'nice' (yeah, right) meeting you, Tomomi. I've got to get to the Gucci store, though. …I'll see you tonight, Sho." Alison says, pulling him in by the collar of his shirt for a kiss before sauntering away, not letting me have a word in.

Kami, I'd like to kiss her with my fist.

…The _nerve_!

But at the same time... He had a _girlfriend_?

I look at Sho, trying not to let the watering of my eyes show. I've felt the pressure build behind my eyes since we were at the zoo, and this was _definitely _making the pressure build up more now. For the second time, I've had my heart stomped on by the same guy.

He frowns slightly, looking at his shoes. "I—I don't know what to say."

I laugh bitterly, "You _sure as hell _didn't." My phone vibrated in my bag and I fished it out.

'_**We leave the hotel at 3.'**_

I was aware of that. Sighing, I shook my head. "I have to get back to the hotel," I say quietly, suddenly in the mood to be as far away from him as possible.

"I'll take you, Tomomi."

Tears threaten to fall, "No, you don't need to. I know my way back."

"Sure, I don't need to, but I will anyway," Sho insists, sternly. I shrug, walking away from him.

"Look, I didn't know what to say, Tomomi! Technically, she isn't even my girlfriend!"

"Oh, '_technically_'?" I exclaim, throwing my arms up in the air out of sheer frustration. "'_Technically_'! Please, _do explain _whatever the _hell _you meant by 'technically'!"

"We had a fling, and that was it. …Nothing more,"

"Yet nothing less," I bitterly say. Sho looks away, biting his lower lip. I roll my eyes, hurrying my pace.

"Tomomi, come back! I—I can explain,"

Hollering a taxi, I get in, but before I can properly shut the door, Sho grabs it by the handle and gets in. I mutter the directions to the driver, scooting away from the awkward stranger to my right.

"…Just let me explain—" Sho whispers.

"What is there to explain?" I whisper back. "You're no different from the people you say you hate. You're just like them."

We remain quiet for the entire ride.

xXx

When we got back, I hurried up to the suite so I could get my things down to the lobby in time. Sho stood quietly, watching me.

Sakura followed, sitting on her Louis Vuitton case as she conversed with someone on her phone. Sho was leaning against a column facing me. He sighs, looking down at his feet. Aunt Chizu eventually arrived with her things and the limo arrived at 3 PM on the dot.

"Hello, Sho," Aunt Chizu greets, smiling tenderly at the boy, giving his sun-kissed cheek a little squeeze. He nervously laughs in discomfort, almost looking fearful.

She and Sakura get in the limo. I grab my suitcase and follow, with Sho close behind me.

On the way to the airport, I rub my eyes, trying to ease the tears of disappointment away. Sho and Aunt Chizu make small chit-chat, as I occasionally glance up from my hands and look at him.

I was a mess, and I didn't know what to make of it. He should've told me, but at the same time, I should have known better. I mean, Sho's done it once; he can sure as hell do it again if I gave him the chance to get close to me (which I did).

And yet, he managed to do so, all in the matter of a day.

Well, it wasn't even roughly 24 hours.

Kami, that's impressive.

The rest of the ride of the airport was silent and filled with tension so thick and so delicate, you could just cut it with a cheap plastic spork.

"Oh, my Kami! She did _not_!" Sakura exclaimed into her phone, prompting me to sweatdrop. Sheesh, so much for 'delicate'. "She did? She _did_, didn't she? …She didn't? You liar!"

Sho snorted from opposite me at Sakura's sudden outburst. He glances up, smiling at me. The corner of my lip twitches down, making me feel worse.

He frowns, looking at his shoes.

xXx

We arrived at the airport an ungodly long time later, and we were waiting in line for security check.

After they had let us through, we went in and Aunt Chizu and Sakura wasted no time in going down and walking to the jet.

I was about to follow, lugging my bag with me, until Sho caught me by my wrist, turning me to face him. "I—I really, really like you, Tomomi."

I narrow my eyes at him slightly, "No, you don't. You don't lie to people you like. You shouldn't even lie, _period_."

He sighs, letting his grip on me loosen by a fraction. "I honestly didn't know what to say."

"You eventually had to say it anyway." I mumble gently, pulling my wrist out of his grasp/

He nods, locking his blazing and electrifying blue eyes with mine. Another breath is caught in my throat, as my emerald eyes widen.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way, Tomomi." Out of the blue, he presses his lips against my forehead, prompting me to stiffen.

Kami, what do I do?

Do I run or something?

"I have to go now, Sho." I say, turning around before I hurry out with my bag. "I'll make it up to you one day!" He yells after me.

I didn't remember anything much when I walked out to the jet. All I knew was that I wanted to be as far away from him, Alison, and Stacey as _much _as possible.

It was a daze. The only faint thing I vaguely remember was shoving my bag into the closet, stumbling to the bathroom and crying my heart out.

Well, whatever's left of it, anyway.

Kami, and I had to go to _school _tomorrow.

Heaving a sigh, I set the toilet seat down and sat on it.

I began to chuckle darkly to myself. I was such a fool to think that Sho and I could be in a… _relationship_.

It's funny to think that life can bite you back in the ass, even when you did nothing relatively wrong to deserve the said ass-biting life.

When life gives you lemons, you hurl them the f*ck back at life and demand for mental sanity.

***le runs away* Gomenasai!**

**~JellyDonut16~**


	41. Chapter 41: Break It Down

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Break It Down**

I woke up this morning, feeling like—surprise, surprise—utter crap. Never had I felt so miserable in my life! As the shining sunlight temporarily blinded me, I slammed my hand on my bedside table, aiming to find my damned alarm clock. I _despised _the thing. Accidentally knocking the thing over, I had to get out of my warm, little duvet cocoon and pick it up from the ground.

The day had barely begun, and I was already more than ready to bury myself back into the covers. My head ached and my _heart _ached. A moment of silence prompted those taunting and terrible memories to flood back into my head. I weakly flung the quiet alarm clock to the corner of my room and buried my face into my hands, letting out a defeated groan. I tuck back a lock of bright red hair behind my ear, standing up to begin the day.

Once I got dressed, I sat down on the dining chair and began eating my breakfast of multi-grain oatmeal and fruit. I disliked it as much I disliked my life at this moment. Chugging down a glass of passion fruit juice quickly, I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the manor I was supposed to call 'home'.

Skidding down the sloping driveway, I waved the guard, having him open the gates for me. I stood in front of the manor by the sidewalk, looking at my feet. I kick a stray pebble back into its place as I push away loose strands of vibrant red hair away from my face.

Truth be told, I felt like _such_ an idiot. Somehow, I still had a place for Sho in my _heart_. And just like _that_, he walked away and stepped on my heart on the way out.

_This is why we can't have nice things, _I sullenly thought to myself, heaving a sigh. My ears perked up to the familiar screech of tires against the blacktop road. From afar, I could see the bright red Volkswagen van riding up the street. I clutch the straps of my dark blue backpack, hearing Metallica being blasted through the speakers.

_Remember, _I told myself. _Don't forget to smile._

I take a deep breath, composing myself before I hear the van abruptly stop in front of me. I smile, getting the van with them before Kankuro sped down the road. I greet them all good morning quietly, looking out of the window.

"How was New York?" Temari asks me, nudging my shoulder. I chuckle, shaking my head. "It was alright (well, not really); it was just the usual, I guess." I reply, shrugging my shoulders. "Same sh*t; different pot, I guess.

But New York... New York was different. If New York were a toilet, it would be a _really _nice toilet. The seat would probably be heated and cushioned and all... Just saying. It was breathtaking at night, it was bustling and so busy with people during the day."

Gaara chuckles from beside me. "'Cushioned seats'?" He echoes, raising a nonexistent eyebrow at me. I give him a lopsided smile. "Yeah, for maximum comfort when you're doing your business on the porcelain throne."

"You make taking a dump sound like such an orderly and businesslike thing."

"We're _humans_! We _all _crap. It's natural, and we do it often. So why don't we just make this super toilet, where people can be relaxed while pooping?" I retort, pointing at him.

"Guys, cut that sh*t out, like, seriously!" Temari yells.

"Badum tss," Kankuro adds, drumming on the steering wheel.

We all laugh. I felt a little better, too. My friends will always be my anchor when there's no one else there. They keep my feet on the ground, but they will never sink me.

**~x~**

When we get to school, I feel nothing but dread. I wanted nothing to do at _all_ with Deidara, after the hectic and confusing weekend. Though it's only been a week, it feels like a year. The days are just dragging on with me putting up with Deidara's nonsense. I'm not sure if I can take it any longer. Why does he do this to me?

_Sometimes, all it takes is a little push to drive someone over the edge. But in Deidara's case, he's a rough shove down a steep ditch._

I bid Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara goodbye, getting out of the van. I straighten my dreadful plaid skirt and walk into the building. For a prestigious private school, there sure are a _lot_ of students here. And this school's tuition is kind of pricey, too. All the rich people here must make babies like rabbits during mating season. Don't they have money for condoms or something?

"Tomomi! Over here!" I hear a familiar voice say. It's none other than Konan, along with the rest of the Akatsuki by the lockers. I wave over to her, furiously searching for a distinct head of blond hair. To my delight, I see none. I made my way to them, greeting them good morning.

Konan was busy folding a paper flower with precision and speed. "How was your weekend, Tomomi?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Ne, it was fine. Just the usual, I guess. Um... Say, where's Deidara?"

A sly smirk creeps onto her face as she stopped folding her flower right then and there. She turns to me, "Why would you like to know?"

"Just curious."

She bites her lip, "I'm _pretty_ sure I saw him following some girl into the janitor's closet."

I roll my eyes, "Classy,"

She chuckles, continuing her paper flower.

"Has he always been like this?" I ask, leaning against a locker beside her. She sighed, shaking her head. "Ever since I met him,"

We stand there and talk, watching the men of the Akatsuki menacingly glare at any passerby they don't take a liking to. It was almost pretty funny. All they did was glare, and their eyes would stay locked on you until you were out of sight.

Soon, it was time to get to class and face the music. I walk to class, focusing on my feet. Suddenly, someone bumps into me. "Oh, I'm sorry–" He says, turning around while doing so. He pauses in his tracks, his brown eyes widening. "You're the new member of the Akatsuki! Gomenasai, Tomomi-sama! I didn't mean to do it, I swear—"

"Well, what's going on here?" Deidara says, out of nowhere, as he put an arm around the guy's neck. _Kami, he looks like he's about to sh*t himself!_

I glare at the blond. "He was just leaving." I turn to the dude who bumped into me. "You; run away. Run for your life!" And that's exactly what the kid does, jerking himself out of Deidara's grip and running away from us like the wind.

I turn back to Deidara. "And you? F*ck off," Walking straight into class, I get to my seat and flop down on it, already exhausted. Deidara follows a few seconds later. Upon further inspection, I can tell he had some 'fun' in the janitor's closet.

"What's wrong with you, hmm? Still have your period or something, un?"

I turn to him. "Kindly shut up, Deidara. I don't want to have a part in any of this."

"In what, yeah?"

"Y-Your bullsh*t! That's what! I'm sick of having to put up with all of this!"

He rolls his eyes, "Oh, so you're still on your period, hmm."

"Shut it. I'm not in the mood for your silly games,"

He scowls at me for a second before turning away. "You always get mad so easily, yeah. No wonder you're still single—"

"You just shut the f*ck up right there, Deidara. You don't even know what you're talking about,"

He continues pressing on. I can only handle it for how long. "Oh, and how was your date last Saturday, yeah? What happened next? Did you scare him away so much, he never came back, un?"

"Shut up!" I yell in frustration, standing up from my seat. His mouth cracked into a smirk but quickly went away as he saw that I was serious. "I'm sick of dealing with your nonsense! Why do I even put up with you? I don't need this stress, I don't need _you _annoying and pestering the hell out of me _day after day after day_! I don't need it! I do _not_ need it."

His jaw dropped slightly before he glowered at me. "Well, _fine_, yeah! I won't annoy you anymore!"

"Good! Because you leaving me the hell alone is _what I've always wanted_, ever since I got into this school." My breath grew ragged, as I emphasized every single word with the stress and anger I've held in the past week.

And truth be told, I felt so much worse.

Why is this happening? He _deserves _it. ...Doesn't he? After all the sh*t he put me through... Why do I feel so bad?

I nearly cringe in embarrassment, noticing the class had gone entirely quiet. Tears threaten to fall. Before they do in front of anyone, I already excuse myself and rush out of the classroom, running into a bewildered Kakashi-sensei, taking his sweet time casually walking to the classroom.

"Tomomi, wait up, hmm!"

Oh, _great_. What now? I ran out of the room to get away from him and he _follows _me out. I gulp, ignoring his calls as I hurried down the hall, looking to seek refuge in the girls' comfort room.

A hand latches onto my wrist. I turn around to face the blond, only to find a soft pair of lips pressed against mine.

**Bam!**

**~jellydonut16~**


	42. Chapter 42: My First Kiss

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

My First Kiss Went A Little Like This

My eyes widen in surprise. _Oh, Kami. What is happening?!_ I remain immobilized in a state of shock. _Deidara, what're you doing?! Deidara, stop!_ I mean, I _know_ this isn't what I'm supposed to be thinking. I'm supposed to melt into his kiss, into his arms which are now wrapped around me in a vise-like grip. Why am I not melting?

Then again, why _should_ I?

I shove him off of me, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "What the f*ck is wrong with you? Get your sh*t together, Deidara. Kami, you probably just had sex with someone else this morning! Why can't you leave me alone?"

His expression was stunned. He then glared at me in irritation, "What if I don't want to, hmm?"

"That's the most _retarded_ thing ever! The world doesn't revolve around you, baka!" I raise up one of my feet to I can calmly take my shoe off and _hurl it at his head_.

He narrows his eyes at me. "You wouldn't dare, un!"

"Try me." I challenge, aiming it at his face.

"_Ahem_. What is going on here?" A voice boomed from behind me. I sweatdropped before turning around to face Shizune-san.

"She started it, yeah!" Deidara accuses, pointing a finger at me. I roll my eyes, putting my shoe back on. He sighs, half-raising his hands up. "Okay, fine, hmm! It's my fault. Sorry,"

Shizune-san stared at us quietly for several seconds before turning to face me. "Hall pass?"

"None," I mumble, shaking my head. "Gomen for making such a nuisance, Shizune-san."

Her eyes soften as she smiles at me sheepishly. "Oh, you weren't. Just make sure you always have a hall pass during class time before you go out. I'll let you off this time. You may go back to class."

"Th-thank you—"

"As for _you_, Iwa no Deidara!" I turn around to go back to class. "...move your bike– it's blocking the entrance to the faculty room."

Deidara groaned in protest. "It's a Harley Davidson, un! You just don't call it a 'bike', yeah!"

Shizune-san didn't reply.

I slowly make my way back to classroom. Kakashi-sensei is leaning against the lockers nearest to the door, mug of coffee in hand. How's he gonna drink that with that sanitary mask covering half his face?

I bow my head apologetically, "Kakashi-sensei... I– I apologize that I just ran off like that."

He looks at me like he's smiling underneath that mask. "It's alright. I kinda understand since it's Deidara who you're partnered with."

Silence.

I just stare at him. He just stares at me.

...I know that look.

"I-it's not like that!" I exclaim, flushing 50 shades of red.

"I'm not implying _anything_," he drawls, that same sheepish expression on his face which said otherwise.

He raises the mug up to his mouth and is about to pull his mask up. I stare intently at him. A bead of sweat rolls down my face.

The shriek of shoes scuffing against the floor caught my ear. I turned around to face the source of the noise, only to see Deidara, before snapping my head to catch a glance of Kakashi-sensei's face.

"Nani!?" I exclaim, sweatdropping. The mug was empty, yet he already had his mask back on. "H-How did you finish all of that? I only looked away for a _second_!"

He pats his tummy, smiling at me, almost seeming like he was _mocking_ me. "I am very thirsty today."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"You two go ahead inside so I don't have to mark you two as tardy,"

"Yes, sir," I mumble, walking in the room. Some people stared, some just minded their own business. Either way, I was ashamed of my outburst.

I sat down and pulled my books up to the table. I felt strangely numb, all of a sudden. Like something inside me just... _cracked_.

Deidara eventually came in and sat beside me. "Tomomi, hmm," he drawls, trying to catch my attention. I ignore him. He even poked me several times. My temper flared to boiling point, yet still, I felt nothing. Kakashi-sensei finally came in and began to lecture us. Deidara slid a piece of paper underneath my arm. I sigh, contemplating reading it. I didn't. Instead, I crumpled it up in irritation and shoved it in my pocket

As soon as the bell rang, I kept my things and left the room as soon as I could. It was time for history. I kept my science textbook in my locker in exchange for my history textbook. I just felt so empty inside. _Kami, I wonder what Sho is doing right now? _I sigh. _I'll bet he's having a _great_ time with Alison._

I took my seat beside Tobi, who was in the midst of drawing what seemed to be the Akatsuki on the back of his notebook with crayons, turned to me and happily greeted me. "Ohayo, Tomomi-chan! Tobi is drawing Tobi's friends!"

I take a glance at his handiwork, a small smile gracing my lips for what seemed to be the first time all day. "Why is Hidan bald?"

"...Tobi has no gray crayons."

"Oh. Then why don't you mix black and white to get the color gray?"

"Demo, Tobi doesn't know how! Can Tomomi-chan help Tobi out?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." I grab the black and white Crayola crayons and start off with a light layer of black before smudging it into grey using the white. "Yay! Hidan-san has hair now! Tobi will draw senpai next,"

"Uhuh! Yay!" I exclaim, not sounding as enthusiastic as I meant to be. "Tomomi-chan seems very sad! Did Deidara-senpai do something to Tomomi-chan again?"

I shook my head, "This has nothing to do with Deidara."

"Ohayo, class! What a wonderful, youthful day after a revitalizing weekend!"

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Gai-sensei," the class said in unison. "Alright! Today, we will have a youthful graded recitation—" Ah, _sh*t_. "On what we've learnt last week!"

I sigh, flipping my textbook open to the most recent topic. _F*ck my life,_ I thought, running a hand through my fiery red hair. "First up to be called is... Hayashi Tomomi!" I frown slightly before standing up. _Just my luck. _At least Gai-sensei had asked me a question regarding a topic I'd already known about, even before I started going to this school. Unfortunately, I answered 'Senju Harashima' instead of 'Senju Hashirama'; I corrected it though.

Honestly, the entire period, I felt like I was in a trance of some sort. Really! You could throw a _book_ at me and I wouldn't even notice. I'm pretty sure I just a blanked out the entire period.

_I'm going insane,_ I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back.

"Ehh?! Tomomi-chan, what are you doing?" Tobi asks me. Only then do I realize that I was _literally_ patting my own back.

"Nailed it," I whisper, slumping in my seat. I wave a hand before Tobi's face slowly, giving him my 'Spirit Fingers', "It's nothing, Tobi. You didn't see a thing."

Tobi cocked his head to the side in confusion. Hell, I don't blame him. I'd be confused too, if I were in his shoes.

_Bring! Bring!_

I stared blankly at my desk. I feel lost.

_What am I doing with my life?_

My mental breakdown was so _drastic_ to the point where _Tobi_ had to carry my things and escort me to math class himself.

"Here, Tomomi-chan, sit down! Tobi will take care of you. Tobi is a good boy!"

I nod, staring at my hands.

There were too many thoughts in my head to the point where I couldn't comprehend a single one. It was all a blur.

I see Deidara walk in the room and grab the back of Tobi's chair. "Piss off, Tobi, hmm!" He grunts.

"Deidara-senpai! But Tomomi-chan is—"

Deidara moves Tobi and the chair he was sitting on to the side with one hand. He sandwiches himself between Tobi and I, facing me. I slowly turn to look at him blankly before going back to stare at my hands. I sigh, randomly opening my math book as I tried—and I really did—to get focused for at least one subject today. Well, as focused as I could ever be with Deidara beside me.

"You still angry at me, un?" He asks, leaning forward so he can look me in the eye. _Why is he talking to me?_ After receiving no response, he harrumphed, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the chair.

We all greeted Kurenai-sensei and immediately, we were given a seatwork to complete by the end of the period. I pulled out my scientific calculator and began to solve the problems given to me. _Why can't math solve its own problems?_ I ponder to myself. After all, I have my own problems already, so... yeah.

"How did you find the answer for that one, un?"

"Tomomi-chan! Tobi doesn't know what to do!"

I sigh. _Speaking_ of problems.

I stood up, getting out of my seat. "Move," I mumble, kicking one of the back legs of Deidara's chair. He glances at me momentarily before moving to my seat. I sit back down and push my paper to Tobi. "Copy me."

"Yay!" Tobi immediately starts writing down my answers.

I turn to Deidara. "Get your calculator."

"Don't have one, hmm,"

"Good luck graduating," I mumble. "Just use mine." I point at a certain value with 'x' after it with my pencil.

"Now, you distribute it."

Kami, I can feel him staring at me. I pull the paper towards me and draw arrows on how to distribute the one with 'x' to the ones in the quantity signs. Then, I scribbled down the result. "Do that," I shove the paper back to him.

He follows what I just wrote. "What's next, yeah?"

"Transpose 256 and solve for x."

And he does just that.

The entire period, we were all pretty quiet until we had to submit our papers. I sigh, grabbing my things and, yet again, exiting the room. My mind, still, was a blank, but I had managed to answer the questions and problems given.

In the sea of students, I manage to spot Konan and Kisame talking by the cafeteria doors. I sigh, keeping my books and shuffling along with the flow of people until I managed to shove my way into the cafeteria.

"Hey, Tomomi!" Konan says, waving at me. I nod at her as we make our way to each other. Her features contort in worry the moment she sees me. "Ne, what's wrong?"

"I need a hug," I simply state. And so she hugs me. "What happened?"

"Ugh, it's complicated."

"Tomomi, the Akatsuki is practically the definition of 'complicated'."

I sigh in utter exhaustion. "I need to emotionally eat. Let's get in line,"

"Hai."

"...Say, where's Karin?"

"I don't know... I haven't seen her at all today. Maybe she's sick?"

"_Maybe._"

I glanced up at the cafeteria. Looks like it's Mexican food for me today. _Which one of these burritos should I emotionally eat?_ I shove my hands deep into the pockets of my Akatsuki blazer. Konan gives me a one-armed hug. "You can tell me all about it later,"

When it's our turn to order, I get a beef burrito, cheese nachos and iced tea whilst Konan orders cheese quesadilla and a diet Dr. Pepper.

Konan took her usual seat beside Pein-san and I sat at one of the ends of the lunch table. I just stared at my food for a few moments before I commenced my emotional eating. Half-way through, Deidara pops up from Kami-knows-where and sits opposite me, a bento box in his hands.

"Where the f*ck did you get that f*cking bento box?" Hidan demanded of Deidara.

The latter smirked, "Some freshmen made it for me, yeah,"

Hidan slammed his can of Coke on the table, prompting those surrounding him to glare at him menacingly. "Why the _f*ck_ would anyone make anything for _you_, and not _me_?"

"Yeah, well, _maybe_ they don't want to make anything for a cocky ass d*ck bastard like _you_, hmm!"

"Says the king of all _ass d*cks!_"

"Come at me, un!" Watching Hidan and Deidara argue is better than watching television– and, judging from the looks on the faces of others, I think they think so too.

They continued quarreling until Pein-san _had_ to intervene, or else sh*t would start flying and hit the roof.

I sigh, looking at my emptied tray. Deidara initially nudged me with his foot, but I brushed it off as an accident. _Then_, he full-out _kicks_ me, prompting me to glare at him with the same intensity as Mu Cephei because my anger had long surpassed the sun.

Just as he was about to speak, Hikaru (the stupid Busty Girl that slapped me) came up to him and cooed longingly, "This morning was amazing. See you after school!" She then turned away—but _not_ before glaring at me triumphantly— and sashayed away from the table.

That didn't really work out because it was so crowded, so she looked pretty ridiculous. _Stupid b*tch,_ I thought to myself, narrowing my eyes at her. _So that's the girl Deidara had sex with this morning... Pathetic._

"You _disgust_ me," I spat out, words laced with venom. I slam my hands on the table and push my chair away. I storm out of the cafeteria, practically shoving my path out, and wanting to find a way to get away from all of this bullsh*ttery in my life.

I need music.

~X~  
_Meanwhile..._

"Good going, brat," Sasori-danna says, barely glancing up from his food.

Deidara just sat there, _stunned_. He had _never_ been treated with so much contempt by a girl before.

Sure, Hikaru 'hated' him at one point, but she didn't hate him _this_ much. Plus, the hate sex was amazing.

But this? This was _real_.

And what shocked the Iwa native the most was that the rejection actually kinda hurt.

_What the hell is wrong with me, un?!_

**The long-awaited chapter 42! How was it? Did it suck? I'd appreciate if y'all reviewed. I wish to know if Tomomi had evolved into some type of Mary-Sue. There's gonna be some major character development from here on out.**

**~jellydonut16~**

**P.S. I'm currently 17, I shall get to updating my profile another day. Kekeke**

**P.P.S. Tomomi had a nervous breakdown, if you didn't get the drift. It's not that she's changed, but she's just not herself in this chapter. So I wrote it as how one would see things during a mental breakdown (i.e. She's not as descriptive and her actions are very bland because she's gone numb. AKA she pretty much didn't function very well)**


	43. Chapter 43: The First Punch

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The First Punch

_Finally, _I thought to myself. _It's the last class of the day already. _I shuffled in Asuma-sensei's class, bordering exhaustion. I don't know why I'm acting like this today. Maybe it's because of what happened with Deidara or with Sho…

I'd like to blame it on the fact that it's still Shark Week for me _and _that I have this _massive _case of jetlag, but… I just _can't_. It wouldn't justify my actions.

"Hey, Tomomi," Konan says, waving at me. She always comes to class so early.

I gave a small wave back as I clambered up the auditorium-styled classroom. I slam my books down, taking a seat beside her—since Karin was apparently absent—and collapsed on the seat, groaning in fatigue.

"Rough day, huh?"

I nod my head in response.

As if on cue, the speakers had come alive.

_Beep._

"All members of the Akatsuki; please report to the gym immediately." I hear Pein-san say over the intercom. A sigh escapes my lips as Konan and I stood up—begrudgingly, on my part—and grabbed our things, grabbing hall passes from Asuma-sensei as we walked out of class.

For the first several moments, there was an awkward silence between us, waiting to be filled with nonsensical yet theoretical colloquy regarding why I'm in such a craptastic mood today.

"So… What happened?" Konan asks, breaking the silence.

I shrug my shoulders, sighing simultaneously. In vain did I try to summon up the words, but most I could muster up was, "Deidara, he— …He kissed me,"

"Oh, Kami."

I nod my head. "I kinda pushed him off me though, so don't worry. Kami, art class was so _awkward_. He kept on being a d**chebag by throwing these stupid paper balls at my head. Some even hit _Shikamaru's _head! Kami!"

"It's Deidara, what do you expect?"

"…Nothing."

We give each other a look and high-five.

Konan and I were soon approaching the gym's double-doors. Konan pushed them open to see several others of the Akatsuki there, standing by the edge of the basketball court.

Pein-san turns to look at us. "Aa. Now that we are all here, I want you to change into your PE uniforms."

But _why_?

I sigh, trudging to the girls' locker room with Konan. I change back into the slightly damp PE t-shirt and black jogging pants and wait for Konan to finish up before we both walk back out to the gym.

Pein-san was standing atop one of the bleachers, crossing his arms as he stared at Deidara, who was irritably dragging a clueless Tobi out of the boys' locker room. Do we have to have gym again? Because I just can't—

"Today, we will spar as a preparation for our upcoming mission." Pein-san says, pulling up a Konoha Academy coffee mug. "They'll be one-on-one battles, chosen at random."

…_Ah, sh*t._

~X~

**Third-Person POV**

Pein then pulled out two strips of paper out of the cup, examining them momentarily.

"First off," he spoke, looking at all of them with blazing intensity (and intimidation). "…Tobi versus Hidan."

"_What?!_" Hidan sputters out. "_Me _against _him_? Are you f*cking _kidding _me?"

"Why? Is Hidan-san scared of Tobi?" Tobi cheekily asks in a bashful manner.

"Alright, you're going _down_, you little sh*t," Hidan began to throw punches at Tobi, only to miss every time.

"Oops! Hidan-san missed Tobi!"

"Stay still, asshole!" Hidan yells, trying to land a right hook, only to miss as Tobi nonchalantly sidestepped, as if making way for the irritated Jashinist.

"Ole!"

"I will beat you into a _f*cking pulp_,"

"Try and catch Tobi first!" Tobi resumes laughing maniacally as Hidan chased him around the court.

Five minutes of futile hit-and-miss lapsed and the match came to a draw.

Tomomi sat on the front bleachers with Konan. A puzzled expression etched onto her features as she raised a skeptical eyebrow at Tobi and Hidan, who were still in the midst of fighting.

"Hidan-san! Tobi wants to play tag!"

"Quit moving, dammit!" Hidan growls out, aiming for Tobi's masked face.

Tobi quickly ducked, tapping Hidan on the shoulder. "Uwah! You're it!" He quickly high-tailed it out of the gym with Hidan hot on his heels.

As the gym's double-doors swiveled on their hinges, an awkward silence fell over the remaining Akatsuki.

Pein-sama cleared his throat awkwardly, reaching in for two more names. "Kisame versus Deidara,"

The two stood up from their seats and high-fived each other before walking to the middle of the court. They resumed staring at each other with narrowed eyes and clenched fists, fighting positions readied.

Deidara initiated the first kick, with Kisame blocking it with his arm and retaliating with a kick of his own. It was hand-to-hand combat, something Deidara slowly began to want to win.

Why?

_Because._

His temper emerged, prompting Kisame to become more defensive as Deidara's attacks became more aggressive. Kisame knew the blond would eventually take the battle seriously; he always did. _There he is, getting all serious again!_

Kisame then started to throw some punches here and there, throwing Deidara off his guard. The latter had grown reckless and competitive, trying to finish Kisame off (for this match) by dropping to the ground and tripping Kisame, who had lunged forward to throw a punch at him.

Kisame grinned as he took the fall, catching himself as he landed on his own back, rolled forward as he took Deidara's shirt with him. He had body-slammed the blond on the floor, who was now writhing in pain.

"The winner is Kisame." Pein-sama announced, prompting a moody Tomomi to mumble a 'no sh*t, Sherlock' under her breath, smirking. Konan laughed before momentarily glancing up at Pein-sama, face flushing by a fifth of a fraction.

"Better luck next time, kid,"

"Tch, I got too distracted, hmm. Don't think so highly of yourself, yeah!" Deidara stood up, scowling at Kisame, who was now grinning triumphantly.

"_Sure_," he drawled, sitting beside Itachi, who was looking quite 'elegantly stoic' (as did everyone else in the room).

Pein pulled out two more names out of the mug. Tomomi started worrying that she might get picked. She hadn't any experience other than the defensive and offensive attacks Gaara had taught her a few years back. He wanted her to at least have _some_ know-how in self-defense just in case something happened.

And a few years ago, that 'something' was Gaara's mercurial tendency to have violent outbreaks. He didn't want to hurt her, _or _his siblings. But Temari and Kankuro already knew how to deal with him. Tomomi, at the time, didn't. Gaara didn't want to risk that.

He didn't want to hurt her.

"…Sasori versus… Konan,"

Tomomi snapped out of her thoughts, whipping her head to face the blue-haired ethereal beauty beside her. Konan smiled reassuringly at Tomomi, patting her hand as she stood up and walked over to the middle of the court.

Sasori was already there, waiting. He had a small smirk on his face.

Konan's palms began to get sweaty in worry. She knew both she and Sasori were seasoned long-range fighters, but the chances were 50-50 at best. The redhead took his stance and Konan followed.

Sasori, however, didn't mind the odds. However close combat was not his forte, he knew that for _one_, Konan hadn't had the privilege of personal experience. Two, he knew she knew her chances.

They initiated with a kick, simultaneously blocking the others' move.

Konan turned around to kick Sasori's face; the latter ducked before resuming his fighting stance.

Sasori lunged forward again, aiming to strike Konan's upper torso. She held her arms together into a cross, however blocking his attack's intended damage, dealt some pain and bruising to her arms, which were already sensitive.

Pein trained his eyes to the girl in the middle of the court; he wanted to intervene, _honestly_, but he _couldn't_; he wasn't supposed to. He wasn't in the position to protect her, especially since _he _was the one who was having her spar with someone in the first place.

Tobi and Hidan had somehow came to a 'truce' and wandered back to the gym, the latter bitterly mumbling under his breath about decapitating a certain orange lollipop-faced retarded ass piece of sh*t and sacrificing the remains to Jashin.

The said lollipop proceeded to skip over to Tomomi and sit beside her, prompting a certain blond to glare at him.

"Go, Konan-chan! Go, Sasori-san! Tobi is cheering for both of you!"

Tomomi pats Tobi's head, absentmindedly running her fingers through his soft, raven hair as she watched Konan and Sasori fight.

Konan knew she was at a loss. As Sasori began a long combo of various kicks and punches, she could only do so much to block them, every so often getting a kick in. She was outmaneuvered and both of them knew it— Sasori dealt another kick she didn't know how to retaliate to and it finally caught up to her.

She landed on the floor, rubbing her shoulder. Sasori stood over her before stretching a hand out. She gratefully took the help and he pulled her up to her feet.

Pein-san's gaze directed at Konan glazed over with concern momentarily before going back to his cold stare. "The winner is Sasori,"

Tomomi immediately rushed over to the middle of the court so she could help Konan walk back to the bleachers.

"Oh, Kami, Konan, are you okay? Does it hurt?"

Konan smiled sheepishly, eyes closed as she gave Tomomi a peace sign. "I'm fine, Tomomi. Don't worry about it,"

"Are you sure? Maybe we can go to the clinic—"

"Tomomi versus Itachi," Pein-sama drawled. Tomomi gulped, turning to face the stoic Uchiha, who was making his way over to her. She cowered slightly; intimidated by the senior she's never even _talked _to.

_Ah, _sh*t_. _She thought to herself, her heart beginning to palpitate already.

Konan turned to look at Pein-sama, as if to say 'she can't handle this'. He narrowed his eyes in response, 'she's in the Akatsuki for a reason'.

The girl harrumphed, crossing her arms as she sat on the far end of the bleachers, away from him.

The others looked in anticipation and amusement; they weren't particularly acquainted to the newbie—other than Konan, Tobi, and Deidara— and they wanted to know howsomeone like _her _could even get in the Akatsuki on the first day of school, let alone _meeting_ her.

Because, to be frank, being Tobi's new friend was not enough to be one of the elite.

Tomomi was borderline hyperventilating.

Itachi takes a glance-over at her. _This'll end soon._

The two locked their gazes; the steely one of Itachi's onyx eyes and Tomomi's petrified emerald ones.

He was the one to make the first move, since he knew that Tomomi was too afraid to and wise enough not to initiate the fight herself. Itachi calculated that she _had _to have a few tricks under her sleeve; when she punched one of Deidara's fangirls, he had heard the sound of her once straight nose breaking. That in itself is something to take into precaution.

So Itachi had swiftly aimed a side kick at her, momentarily stunned at her fast reaction time.

_She's fast! _Itachi mentally scolds himself for underestimating her too much, albeit the fact that he had already deduced that she had some knowledge in the area of fighting. And he was about to find out the extent of what she knew.

Tomomi had blocked him with her arm, turning it so she could grab his leg as she directed a kick in the direction of his face. He blocked it with his hand. Tomomi automatically reacted to it and used it to push herself off and back flip away from him.

She herself was in shock. Gaara's training her had certainly shown— he's made her practice so many times to the point where it came as an instinct that kicked into high gear when she really was at stake of being in trouble.

Her fiery scarlet hair had become unruly, cascading over her face and shoulders. She took a fighting stance and Itachi did the same.

Itachi, however, still looked like he had just gotten out of the salon after a hair treatment. Silky long raven hair, which he kept in a loose ponytail, had remained in place. Not a stand went astray.

Tomomi momentarily envied how nice his hair was before mentally b*tchslapping herself out of that particular train of thought. _Priorities!_

But Itachi had already directed another attack on her. She was able to block it, with a little more difficulty. Tomomi cracked her knuckles, aiming for a left hook, but Itachi had blocked it with his wrist and twisted her hand so he could lock her arm from behind.

She writhed in discomfort, managing to free herself by attempting to flip Itachi over her head as a way to counter the attack.

Itachi landed on the ground normally, since he was noticeably taller than the redhead.

Tobi stood beside Pein-sama, crossing his arms. "I told you that she would be an asset to us. Don't doubt my judgment, Yahiko." He said in a deep, baritone voice.

As if he were some type of Jekyll and Hyde, his demeanor had flipped 180˚. "Go, Tomomi-chan! You can do it! You can do it! Tobi believes in you!"

Tomomi momentarily took a sideward glance at Tobi, who was happily cheering her on. It threw her off guard, and she blocked Itachi's kick from above almost a second too late.

She was getting tired, and it showed. Her movements were fluid, but slow. They were getting slower each and every time Itachi initiated an attack.

Her fatigue was evident and it gave her downfall away.

Soon enough, the latter had caught onto what was happening. A ghost of a smile tugged the corners of his pale lips. _If I keep it up at a certain rate, she'll eventually start lagging._ He deduced, planning out the next series of blows and attacks in his head.

Tomomi was panting, heavily creeped out by how Itachi's eyes were boring right into her, right _through _her, as if staring at the very depths of her soul.

_Can I just give up? I'm too tired to fight anymore! _She whined in the confines of her head, having a mental spontaneous combustion right then and there. She put her hands on her knees, waiting for Itachi to come at her.

A minute passed and he hasn't done a thing. _If he isn't going to do anything, neither will I, _Tomomi concluded, mentally patting herself on the back.

Suddenly, Itachi sprung into action and initiated a variety of attacks Tomomi nearly couldn't protect herself from in time. He was about to kick her side, anticipating her to block it—and she did— but pulled his leg away at the last second, spinning around and kicking her back. She landed on the ground with an audible and (embarrassingly) loud thud, scowling as she tried to rub the pain away.

Immediately, the other members began to half-heartedly clap at the newbie's performance, akin some sort of peculiar, yet _ridiculously _superfluous initiation rite.

"The winner is Itachi." Pein-sama said, glancing at the last two names in the mug. He himself did not partake in sparring; he knew that his skills surpassed the others' greatly. Instead, he proctored the matches himself.

Itachi helped Tomomi up. "You were very impressive," he coolly states, returning to his seat.

Tomomi raised an eyebrow at him before half-limping (she hoped it wasn't noticeable) towards Konan, who was already half-way in the court to help her.

"Last two; Kakuzu and Zetsu,"

The two seniors stood up and made their way to the court. Meanwhile, Deidara began to glare irritably at the senior who had just fought Tomomi. He felt this imminent urge to beat the prodigal Uchiha up, just for the sake of doing it.

The blond had always hated Itachi—especially after he was bested by the latter during a fight that had Deidara's say on joining the Akatsuki on the line. He lost and joined the Akatsuki. Initially, he begrudgingly took his losses, but eventually learnt of the many privileges and advantages of being in it.

Kakuzu and Zetsu had distanced themselves from the other. Both took to their defensive stances, yet nobody initiated the fight.

Minutes passed...

"_C'mon_, Zetsu," Kakuzu growled out, clenching his fists.

Zetsu remained in place, keeping his distance. He wasn't strong or good enough to make it into the basketball varsity; he definitely couldn't just take on Kakuzu, either. He's the Akatsuki's intel specialist and resident hacker—he _does not do_ _**wrestling**_.

"If you won't make a move, I guess _I _will," the stronger of the two—yet none more or less smarter than the other—declared, going in for a punch.

Zetsu didn't know how to block it, nor anything else, so he had no other option but to flee and keep his distance from harm's way.

Kakuzu immediately caught onto his opponent's plan. It was to avoid getting near him at all costs. _I'll have to draw him out myself to get this over with, _he thought, staring the green-haired, gawky senior down.

He brought himself to commence a series of attacks in order to prompt Zetsu to stop running away and actually retaliate. It didn't work… _yet_.

Meanwhile, Tomomi and Konan were lounging on the bleachers; Tomomi had her earphones on as she blankly stared at Konan folding various shapes with lilac-colored origami paper.

'_And it's good enough to make me wanna fall in love_

_So move a little bit closer_

_Hear the sound of your voice_

_We're screaming, "Why can't we just be friends?"_

_It's not that easy, but it's half of the fun_

_To see you throw the first punch now'_

Music filled Tomomi's ears as she lost herself to the lyrics; the meaning and soul behind it. It inspired her, truly, and helped her keep her chin up amidst all of the complete and utter bullsh*t she was going through.

Her emerald eyes drifted over to Deidara, catching him already staring at her. He hurriedly looked away, frustrated with the stupid redhead. The said redhead glared at him before turning to her phone to look for another song to listen to next.

Deidara opted to turn to Sasori, who was in the midst of boring his chocolate brown eyes into the two unmoving competitors in the middle of the court. "What'd you think of the newbie's skills, Sasori-danna, hmm?"

Sleepy half-lidded eyes drifted to his direction. "She's alright."

"That's it, un?"

"Leave me alone, brat."

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Whatever, yeah,"

Kakuzu and Zetsu were still staring down at each other. The wiry senior clenched his fists before finally lunging forward at Kakuzu. _I just want to get this over and done with!_

Kakuzu reacted automatically, averting the attack by blocking Zetsu's fists and keeping them in a stronghold until he managed to lock and twist his arms, prompting Zetsu to wince in pain and drop to his knees.

The victor immediately let go, walking straight out of the gym.

Zetsu slowly stood up, rubbing his arms before sitting on one of the bleachers.

Pein-sama stepped down from the top of the bleachers, a step at a time. "The winner is Kakuzu." He deadpanned, just for the sake of saying it anyway. "You are all dismissed."

Tomomi was mortified at how painful it looked. The others didn't really mind—even _Zetsu_—which, frankly, alarmed her.

Everyone soon got up to leave. She stumbled down to the court and hurriedly put the song she was listening to on pause as she shoved her earphones in the pocket of her Akatsuki blazer. "I hate life," she mumbled to herself, shuffling out of the gym.

~X~

**Tomomi's POV**

I sigh, feeling a migraine nag the back of my head. I bade Konan goodbye as she stayed behind to talk to Pein-san. _I ship it, _I thought, mentally patting myself on the back.

I made it a point to stop by my locker so I could keep my books for the day.

_Bam!_

The sound of someone slamming their palm against the locker beside mine startled the living soul out of me (well, whatever was left of it, anyway). It was none other than Sakura, my pink-haired cousin.

"Hi, Tomomi," she said in a sickly sweet tone, rich with verbal diabetes. "Listen up. Hinata's having a sleepover at her place and _I'm going_." She pulls out a powdery pink sheet of paper out of her Chanel purse and gave it to me.

"Give this to the housekeeper. It has Hinata's address and all the things I'll need. Thanks again!" She gave me a solid whack on the shoulder as she sauntered off to her posse.

I frown at the list, filled with various random items scribbled in purple gel pen. _Kami, she even dotted her I's with _hearts_! _I inwardly snicker to myself, making my way out of the building and to the parking lot.

Sitting on one of the benches, I watch the guys of the Akatsuki get in their fancy-schmancy cars and pull out of their specially reserved slots. It's insane, I _know_.

My eyes narrow upon seeing Hikaru saunter over to Deidara, who was in the midst of admiring his reflection on his bike's mirror. The little sh*t fawned over him, holding his forearm in admiration and fervent infatuation.

To my surprise, he pushed her away and basically told her to f*ck off.

"This morning was a one-time thing, hmm! It meant _nothing _to me and it _is _nothing. I have better things to do than waste my time on you, yeah!"

"De-demo Deidara-kun—" He got on his bike and started the ignition, the roar of his bike evening to a purr.

"You mean nothing to me. That's just the way it is, un!" He says, grinning sheepishly at her before putting his black helmet on and speeding away.

_Damn… What a heartbreaker, _I think to myself, slightly getting re-pissed about what happened earlier today again. I finger the edge of my skirt, blankly staring at my fingers.

Ten minutes later, a certain red Volkswagen van screeched to a halt before me before the side door opened to reveal Gaara standing in the back, electric guitar in his hand. I grin, walking over to them and getting in the back of the van.

Music was blasting loud enough to be heard outside the car, but not loud enough to _legally _be a nuisance to others.

"First off," I drawl, pointing a finger to the exit. "To the manor!"

**How was it? Did it suck? I tried doing a thing— a **_**different**_** thing. And I'm not sure if it worked. My mind is really conflicted about the upcoming chapters. Please **_**do **_**review, I'd really appreciate it. Honestly, I have trouble writing in third-person using present tense. The song Tomomi listened to is called 'The First Punch' by Pierce the Veil.**

**~jellydonut16~**

**P.S. When you read about Deidara and Hikaru, try rereading it whilst listening to 'That Fire' by Black Tide. It's like Dei's theme song lol**

**P.P.S. Review? :D**


	44. Chapter 44: Another You

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Another You

Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and I first stopped by the manor so I could give the housekeeper the troublesome piece of paper Sakura gave me.

I exited the van, ran up to the front door, and slid inside the manor. I scoured the area for the housekeeper, ending up finding her in the dining room, polishing silverware. I slam the sheet of paper down. "Sakura-san needs these for her sleepover. I won't be home for dinner tonight."

She narrowed her steely eyes at me. She never really did like me; which is just as well since I don't like her either. Hah!

I smirk at her before jogging down the hall, out the door way, _down_ the driveway and _finally _getting back in the van. I sigh, slumping down on the worn car seats Kankuro had somehow managed to bolt to the side of the van.

When we got to their house, Gaara sprinted to the mailbox and checked its contents. He pulled out a white cushioned envelope and grinned at Kankuro. "My pre-order finally got here,"

Temari grabbed her books and entered through the front door as Kankuro opened the garage door. "Practice again?" I ask, leaving my backpack in the van since I forgot to drop it off at the manor.

"Probably… _Maybe_. Gaara just got the new Of Mice & Men album in the mail," Kankuro answered, flipping the lights open and diving onto the couch. "Temari, I'm hungry!" He yelled, prompting me to inwardly chuckle at him.

"_So_?" Temari yelled right back.

"Cook me something! Me hungry!" I could literally hear the cheeky grin in his voice.

"F*ck you," she retorted, causing Kankuro to chuckle (giggle) to himself.

Gaara shuffled in with the CD and powered up the CD player. "Maybe we can chill and listen to _Restoring Force _first," he suggests, ripping the packaging apart.

"Ooh, bubble wrap! Gimme," I say, stretching my arms out. He raises a nonexistent eyebrow at me, the corner of his pale lips curving up into a smirk.

"Are you _serious_?"

I scowl at him, "Honestly, yes; some b*tches killed my vibe for today and I need the extra comfort."

He tosses the envelope, aimed at my head. I catch in time, sticking my tongue out at him. Gaara rolls his eyes, turning the volume up to a reasonable level that the neighbors could tolerate.

Gaara sat down beside me, examining the CD case and the poster that came with it. He smirks to himself, shaking his head slightly.

"What's up?" I ask him, staring at the tracklist.

"…Ne, I wonder what it'd be like being in a band as famous as theirs."

"It'd be a dream come true,"

"True, true… But I want to be in a band," he turns to look at me in the eye. "For real this time; I don't want to let the opportunity pass us by before we've even given it a shot."

I cross my arms, leaning back on the couch. "Konoha Jam," I suggested, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Hn. It could work. We start out small before we run with the big leagues."

"See, _this _is the sh*t we should be talking about as a _band_,"

He rolls his eyes, shaking Kankuro's shoulder. "Teme, wake up. We have things to discuss,"

Kankuro peered up at his little brother, brown hair falling into his face. "I wasn't sleeping, dobe!" he exclaimed, glaring at him. "Temari, get your butt down here!"

Temari jogged down the hall and to the door leading to the garage from inside the house. She opened it, a hand on her hip as she leant against the doorway. "_What_, Kankuro?"

"Band stuff," I mutter, smiling at her sheepishly.

"Sure. But make it quick; I really want to watch this episode of _Pretty Little Liars _I TiVo'ed this morning."

"Ne, but you TiVo'ed it—" I reason, raising an eyebrow at her.

"_Still!_"

"Okay, okay!" I held my hands up slightly in a half-joking, half-defensive manner. "_Pretty Little Liars _ASAP."

She squeezes herself onto the couch. "Alright, what's this all about?"

"We need a game plan on being a band," Kankuro says, rolling his eyes.

"Well, for _starters_, why don't you and Gaara decide who gets to be lead guitarist and who gets to be the frontman? You both _can't _be it," Temari suggests, looking at Gaara and I.

"Gaara can be frontman," I grin at her. "Playing guitar is where my heart and soul is at, anyway."

"Hey, playing guitar is where _my _heart and soul is too; don't I get a say in this—"

"No, you don't." Temari deadpanned.

Gaara scowls at her. "Hn."

"Okay, then it's official! Gaara's officially the frontman of… of…" I drift off, blanking out.

"…Yeah, we need a band name." Kankuro pointed (the obvious) out, looking sheepish.

So we pitched out suggestions which many may or may not have been ridiculously corny and stupid. 'The Sand Band'? Really? Yeah, we kinda shot down Kankuro pretty harshly for that one.

"How about… Shukaku?" Gaara suggests.

We stay quiet for a while, poring over it. The sound of music filled the room as we pondered in our thoughts. I scowl, thinking about what happened this morning. I was slowly but _surely _getting pissed off about it for the umpteenth time _again_. Seriously, this is _pathetic_.

_I _am pathetic. I mean, why am I so affected?

Because it was my first kiss?

Because it probably meant nothing to him?

Because he had sex with Hikaru _that same morning_?

_This is stupid. _I thought, mentally slapping myself. _Cut this sh*t out!_

"It's actually not that bad," Temari spoke up, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," I mumble, not really in the mood to talk anymore. _Kami, why am I being so mercurial? What the _f*ck _is wrong with me today?_ I thought to myself, staring at my hands blankly.

"…Okay. Fine; I'll admit, it _does _sound pretty cool," Kankuro half-heartedly admitted, rolling his eyes.

"Shukaku it is?" Gaara asks, eyeing Kankuro warily.

"_Yes_," Temari said in exasperation.

"Then 'Shukaku' it is—"

"_Yes_," She again interjected, standing up and muttering something about _Pretty Little Liars _under her breath.

Kankuro rolled his eyes.

Not several minutes later, Temari yelled out Gaara's name.

He frowned at the general direction of the doorway before standing up and shuffling into the house.

"Kankuro, get your ass over here!" She yelled next, prompting Kankuro to groan in irritation.

I briefly pondered if it was Shark Week for her too.

Honestly, I was half-expecting her to call me next.

Minutes passed as I curled up on the couch, bringing my knees to my chest. Even the sound of music couldn't drown my thoughts, but the sound of paper being crumpled in my jacket pocket had piqued my curiosity. I pull out a slightly crumpled sheet of notebook paper, haphazardly folded into quarts. It was the stupid piece of paper Deidara shoved under my arm during science class this morning. I unfolded it, staring at the note written in his admittedly quite nice handwriting.

'I'm sorry'.

_Words wear off, nervous paces_

I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat, feeling the back of my eyes sting. Honestly, I didn't know whether he was serious, or if he meant it as some sarcastic joke.

Gaara strode in and sat beside me, tossing his phone on the wooden coffee table in front of us.

"I ordered pizza. Hope that's okay with you..?"

"Yeah," I mumble, trying to push the bad thoughts away. But I couldn't. "It is. Thanks. What're Kankuro and Temari doing?"

"She says that her episode got overwritten or something. I didn't bother to ask."

"Doesn't matter,"

_Something's off, see it in their faces_

He shifts himself on the couch slightly to face me. "Are you okay? You seemed to zone out a while ago. Hell, you're zoning out _now_,"

_Say anything, say anything_

_Say anything that could make this all okay_

I slowly turn to look at him, setting my feet on the ground. "I… I don't know. Not— I just—_ Ugh_," I bury my face in my hands. Why do I feel like this?

_Take it away, take it away,_

_Take away all of this emptiness I feel_

'_Cause I will never find another you_

Kami, the music isn't helping. Tears began to fall from my eyes; I'm not sure if it were from heartbrokenness, infuriation, or frustration.

_I still hear you in this house (whispering)_

_I still feel you in my bones (in these veins)_

"Tomomi, what's wrong?" He asks, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

_And like the portraits in the halls (can't help but think)_

"Everything," I hiss, feeling sobs wrack my body. "Sh*t just b-blew out of f*cking proportion today; I don't under_stand_. Like, what the hell; how did everything become so sh*tty over the weekend?" Unfortunately, my verbal ability diminishes whenever I get so overwhelmed with stress. I just—I can't help but forget every intelligible word in my vocabulary.

_I wish you were staring back at me (but you're gone)_

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

_Say anything, say anything,_

_Say anything that could make this all okay_

I nod, "Of course I do; Kami, you're my best friend, Gaara—" I reach out to wrap my arms around him. "You're my best friend,"

_Take it away, take it away_

_Take away all of this emptiness I feel_

He tries pulling away to look at me, but all of his efforts were deemed futile. I refused to let him see my face as I bawled my eyes out and lost my sh*t.

I guess I truly am going insane.

'_Cause I will never find another (I may never find myself)_

Gaara pushes me away slightly so he could press his forehead against mine. "Look at me," he whispers.

_And I will never find another you_

I fervently shake my head, refusing to meet his eye whilst I was in this state of cataclysmic state of mental dystopia.

"Tomomi, look at me." He said with a tinge more urgency.

So I did. The mere proximity of his face from mine prompted my face to flush a few shades of red slightly. He cupped my face, stroking my cheek with his thumbs.

My heart began beating rapidly as I blinked the tears away. My eyes fluttered close as he leant in to kiss me. I held my breath, but his kiss was gentle. Gentle enough to make me wonder if it truly did just happen. But it _did_.

_So I'll carry you with me in my dreams, my memory_

_So I'll carry you with me (you'll always be with me) in my dreams, my memory_

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pressed his lips against mine again, deepening the kiss. I felt blood rush to my cheeks as he pulled me in closer to him.

_So I'll carry you with me, you'll always be my memory_

"G-Gaara—" I mumble, breaking away for air for several seconds. The kiss left me feeling euphoric, which was really weird, but kinda cool at the same time. Albeit hesitant, I glanced up at him, biting my bottom lip. His face was pretty much just as red as my hair.

"Hmm?" He hums, tilting his head to the side slightly.

I blush even harder under his unwavering gaze. "Again," I sheepishly suggest(-ish), tracing my fingers along his soft, pale lips. They curled up into a small smile at what I had said.

He wasted no time in doing so.

_Say anything, say anything_

_Say anything that could make this all okay_

_Take it away, take it away_

_Take away all of this emptiness I feel_

'_Cause I will never find another (I may never find myself)_

_And I will never find another you_

~X~

_Meanwhile…_

Deidara parked his Harley Davidson in front of the Haruno manor, taking his helmet off and letting long blond locks cascade down his back as he did so.

He walked up to the gate, only to be stopped by the security guard. "Name?" The latter gruffly queried.

Deidara rolled his eyes, "Iwa no Deidara, hmm,"

The security guard disappeared into the guardhouse momentarily before emerging from it, opening the gate for the blond.

He hiked up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. Mere seconds later, the door is opened by a stern-looking woman. "Ah, yes. Iwa no Deidara; Haruno-sama is in the study. Come, come," she led him down the spacious hall and into a grand room with full-length bookshelves lining the walls, a mahogany desk in the middle as a woman in her early forties pored over something on her Mac.

"Ah, Deidara," Chizu said, glancing at the boy. "What brings you here? How is Yosuke-sama?"

"Uh, he's good, I guess, yeah. I was just dropping by to see Tomomi, hmm. Y'know, just to talk to her or something,"

Her emerald eyes narrow slightly. "She isn't here at the moment. I don't know where that girl goes to just as much as what she even does." Just as they narrowed, they widened two folds just as much. And just like _that_, she caught onto what even Deidara himself hadn't.

She noticed his crestfallen expression, paired with a scowl on his face.

A small smirk played on her crimson Lancôme-covered lips. "So you've taken a liking to my niece, yes?"

He looked up to face her, teal blue eyes narrowing slightly. _Tch, what's she trying to pull, hmm?_

"I know just the trick," she said, standing up and grabbing a _Fashion Forward _lookbook off the desk. She opened it up and pulled out a few color templates. Her career in _Fashion Forward_ wasn't going to last forever, and she needed… business alternatives.

Deidara crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at her skeptically. "Tell me what you've got in mind, yeah,"

~X~

After we stuffed ourselves with pizza, we started hooking up our gear to prepare for today's practice session.

I tuned my guitar to a drop C, making sure I didn't go too high or too low. But if the tuner bumps back and forth, it really is the best to make sure you're on the lower end than the higher one.

Kankuro taped our 'set-list' to the floor, where Gaara, Kankuro and I could see it easily. We'd just tell Temari the next song on our set-list. She sat down on the black stool, grabbing her drumsticks and twirling them.

"First up, 'Have Faith in Me'," Gaara told Temari. She nodded, beginning to drum on the snare. Kankuro began playing the backbeat on bass. Then, I brought my pick up and started playing the lead.

"Have faith in me, cause there are things that I've seen that I don't believe," Gaara sang, striking a few muted bar chords on his guitar. "So cling to what you know and never let go, you should know things aren't what they seem."

I did my power stance, left foot in front of the other, my left knee slightly bent forward as it supported most of my weight. Then I began playing the power chords of chorus, my pointer finger positioned at the G-string (lol), fifth fret, muting the bottom C string, and my ring finger at the F-string, seventh fret. I slid my hand up the fretboard to the same position, yet using the twelfth and fourteenth frets respectively. Gaara sang his heart out as I did so.

"I said I'd never let you go and I never did! I said I'd never let you fall and I always meant it! If you didn't have a chance, then I never did. You'll always find me right there again," If I weren't so into playing the music, maybe I'd have noticed Gaara staring at me as I sang along, yet off-mic.

The bridge was my favorite part. It was something I could relate to, especially with all this bullsh*t going on in my life. Music is _art_, something you can _relate _to. It has heart and soul, along with the memories and little bits and pieces of the person who wrote it.

"They got me on the outside looking in, and I can't see at all. With the weight of the world on my shoulders, they just wanna see me fall," Gaara and I sang in unison, harmonizing as all four of us poured our worries into this.

This… _this _is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

~X~

Kankuro (begrudgingly) gave Gaara the keys to the van so he could drive me home. Gaara and I sat in the comfortable silence, our fingers laced together.

"You think they knew something was up?" I asked, first to break the silence.

"Who know what was up?" Gaara replied, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Y'know… Kankuro and Temari. The way we pretty much shoved each other off the moment they walked in…"

"Would you have wanted them to know?"

"_No_."

Gaara pouted at me. "Why not?"

I narrowed my eyes and gave him a look that read, '_think about what you just said_'. He got my drift and gulped, nodding as he did so. He redirected his eyes on the road, pale cheeks flushing slightly. He had one hand on the steering wheel so he could hold my hand. I think it's kinda cool someone can just drive so casually like that. I don't know why Temari never bothered with taking driving lessons, though.

We halted at the stoplight, watching the rush-hour traffic roll by. He turns to look at me, his hand leaving my fingers to cup my face. I lean forward so I could press my lips against his. Our lips part as I let his tongue slip between my teeth, running itself against the back of my upper front teeth. I blush, grabbing a fistful of his hair, tugging at it slightly.

He smiles against my lips, pulling away after several moments. Gaara sat up straight in his seat, face flushed slightly before he realized that the stoplight had turned green. He shook his head slightly, driving me back to the manor.

I ran a hand through my hair, my palms beginning to get sweaty. I dreaded the thought of the possibility of having to see Aunt Chizu or Sakura when I got home. It was not a prospect I wished to experience.

He rolled to a stop in front of the manner. _Oh, Kami… _I turn to look at him, smiling sheepishly. "Goodnight, then, I guess."

Gaara smirks at me. "Aa. Sweet dreams, Tomomi," he leaned in to give me a goodnight kiss. My heart began palpitating.

"U-Uh, yeah. Sure. I'll go. Now. G'night!" I stutter, wondering what the hell had just gotten into me. I grab my backpack and exit the van, covering my face. He drove off and I walked up the driveway, trying to dispel this creepy ass grin on my face.

_I just experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back.

I enter the manor after a maid let me in. I hurried upstairs so I could scream Gaara's name into my pillow. Kami, that was amazing. Also, what the hell is wrong with me today?

I shrug the thoughts out of my mind as I stare at the ceiling, touching my lips and wondering what the next few days would bring. It was this feeling of giddiness that made me feel idiotic, but I couldn't bring myself to stop it.

_Kami, he is _so _hot. I can't stop smiling. I am so done._

**How's the l'amour? Do you ship it? The title of the song by Of Mice & Men is called 'Another You' and it'd be pretty groovy if y'all listened to it while reading the chapter. The story is still, however, a DeidaraxOC so you just have to stick around to see what happens. 175+ reviews, pwease? It's motivation~**

**~jellydonut16~**

**P.S. Thanks to ****I can't think 0f a username**** for dem suggestions! Great minds think alike.**

**P.P.S. Is Tomomi displaying any Mary Sue-ish traits? I feel skeptical with this chapter because she wasn't supposed to be in the right state of mind the entire day, so I don't know how to make that not Mary Sue-ish. Feel free to critique so I can better my understanding **_**as well **_**as my work.**

**P.P.P.S. Okay. So I wrote a thing. It is a SasuKarin type of side story to this that will run along with the same timeline as this story, only more centered on Karin and Sasuke. There'll be a separate one on Konan too, but that shall be for another time. Check it out, ne? I dunno, I just ship it. Karin and Sasuke, I mean.**


	45. Chapter 45: Never Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Never Again

Swirly patterns and cosmic bodies; that's all I saw as I stared up at the ceiling, too restless to sleep. Apparently, absence doesn't just make the heart grow fonder; it makes your stomach hungry, too.

I turn on my side, peering at the clock. It was nearly midnight. A sigh escaped my lips as my stomach audibly growled for food. I was too hungry to sleep; too sleepy to get out of bed.

This sucks.

So I just lay in bed for a good ten minutes, before my stomach began to growl in hunger again. I sat straight up, groaning. Ever so quietly, I slip my feet into black flip-flops and got out of bed, mentally planning out what I'd eat when I got to the kitchen.

The kitchen in the manor was usually inaccessible to Sakura, Aunt Chizu and I— which is really stupid—since we had fixed meals at fixed times. Nothing else, even though the pantry is full of food. And, come to think of it, it wasn't that it was really _inaccessible_, it's just that Aunt Chizu and Sakura could easily order someone to bring them something from the kitchen.

But as a kid, I've been there several times before. The leftover desserts are a dream.

I slowly open the bedroom door, mentally freaking out because of this loud, ominous creak the door omitted. _Ah, sh*t._

Gathering up all of my stealth, I crept out of the door and gently closed it behind me and crept down the hall, bracing myself to come in contact with another person, lest I actually do and lose my sh*t.

And in a record time of three minutes, I finally make it to the kitchen. The kitchen adjoined the dining room, but with a door between the two rooms. I pushed the door open, flipping open one of the lights.

By the prep tables? Good enough. I make my way to the pantry and gawk at all the snacks inside. I bet the staff eats these. I pull out a pack of gummy bears and toss it on one of the counters before opening the fridge. It was beautiful. Other than 90% of the fridge which consisted of vegetables, lean meats, gluten-free organic tofu, and _more _vegetables, the other 10% had these leftover desserts, imported chocolates and frozen foods.

I pull out a box of frozen pizza rolls and contemplate on whether or not to eat it. _To eat or not to eat? _I repeated over and over in my mind until 'to eat' became the only reasonable decision. Never mind the fact that I _just _ate pizza, I'm too hungry to reason with my stomach.

I pop them in the microwave and scour the drink fridge for something nice to drink. Chocolate milk sounds good. I grab a mug and pour it in, hurriedly chugging it down not two seconds after.

A door creaks open, prompting me to abruptly halt, mid-gulp.

_Ah, sh*t._

Just as I mentally b*tch-slap myself for not taking how _noisy_ the microwave (and I) would be into precaution, I turn to see a maid, staring at me in mild amusement.

"Hey, Airi," I greet. She's in her blue pajamas, shaking her head at me.

"I assume Miss Hayashi is hungry?"

"You know it," I say, setting the mug down. "Was I _that _noisy?"

She slowly shook her head. "I think not. My room is right beside the kitchen, so I guess that's why I woke up."

"Care to keep me company?"

She knits her eyebrows together in worry and contemplation. I clasp my hands together and pout at her, "Please?"

Airi smiles at me sheepishly. "Alright, Miss Hayashi; if you insist,"

I grin at her, smelling the air. "Ugh, the pizza rolls smell _amazing_. Grab a glass! Grab a glass!" I urge, pouring myself another mug full of chocolate milk. When Airi brought me a glass, I filled it up for her too.

"Ne, what dessert do we have?" I ask, pulling out the pizza rolls from the microwave.

"Since neither you nor Miss Haruno were going to have dinner, Haruno-sama requested that there be no dessert for that night."

"Tch, I'm the only one who eats sweets in the family, anyway," I say, harrumphing.

She slowly shook her head. "You'd be surprised, Miss Hayashi. Miss Haruno tends to frequent these parts when Haruno-sama isn't at home. The canned fruit is a favorite of hers, I think."

I raise an eyebrow, "Really? Whoa; guilty pleasure much? Then again, I'm in no place to talk. Say, why _do _you call Aunt Chizu-sama only Haruno-sama and not 'Miss' like what you do with Sakura and I? Is that confusing? Am I confusing you?"

She giggles, "Not at all! Haruno-sama specifically requested that we call her that in order to avoid confusion between her and Miss Haruno."

"Oh. Well, here," I give her one pizza roll. She and I snack on it and on the trail mix of chips we found in the pantry. By the time my midnight snacking (feasting) came to an end, I was really, really full.

She and I expertly cleared any evidence that there were any intrusions amongst the fridge and pantry and we bade each other goodnights before we went to our respective bedrooms. I flopped on my bed, burping before I snuggled underneath the duvet. Eventually, I fell asleep.

"_Ah, Tomomi, glad to see you here," Tsunade-sama says, sitting up from her chair, crossing her arms over the desk._

_I step inside the Hokage's office, closing the door behind me. I courteously bow as I stood before her. Airi was present in the room as she stood beside me._

"_We've gotten a distress call from Ishigakure. Though we aren't allied with them, we've received word that the other surrounding nations had gotten a distress call from Ishigakure as well. So we're sending you and Airi on a C-rank mission to Ishigakure to unearth the cause for the distress call and to report back to me as soon as possible."_

"_When shall we leave?" I ask._

"_In an hour," Airi automatically answers for me, pulling her long waist-length brown hair into a high pony-tail._

"_Then we've better get going."_

"_Hai. Good luck, girls," Tsunade-sama stated before we rush out of the Hokage's tower and dispersed to get ready for our mission._

_I jumped from rooftop to rooftop and hopped down to the balcony of my apartment's bedroom. I slid it open and immediately prepared my pack and my rations, stuffing a small tube of soldier pills into a pocket hidden inside it._

_I put on my standard ANBU uniform consisting of a black turtleneck, a grey protective vest, grey arm guards, long black gloves with cloth bandages to keep them in place, and black nin-pants. I pull the ceramic bird mask over my face and put my pack on, walking out of the bedroom. I bump into my cousin, Sakura— who's wearing a red top, a tan skirt with black shorts underneath, and ankle-high sandals—as she's in the midst of sneaking a can of candied fruit into her bedroom._

"_Ohayo," I greet, half-heartedly waving an arm at her. "You don't need to sneak around like that. Chizu-san usually goes to the marketplace at this time,"_

_I take long strides over to the living room to grab the katana I had sharpened yesterday and examined the blade before putting it back into its holster and wearing it around my waist._

_She pouts at me, "Ne, but if mom catches me eating again, she's going to be like, 'Oh, Sakura! You never stop eating! When will you grow up?'" She flops down on one of the wooden chairs in the dining area of the apartment we live in along with her parents. "So I might as well just eat it in my room, where she won't have to butt in as much!"_

_She tilts her head to the side. "You're going on a mission again?"_

_I nod, walking over to the shoe rack by the front door in order to wear my knee-high sandals. "Hai. It appears to be urgent, and I think I'm already late."_

"_D-Demo, you just got back from one yesterday! …When will you be back, then?" Sakura asks, popping up behind me. She's opened the can of mixed fruit and she's already readily wielding a spoon._

"_Whenever," I say, standing up._

"_Ne, but you're always so busy! You rarely get to sit and have dinner with us anymore."_

"…_I'm sorry." I say, swallowing a lump that had formed in the back of my throat. "I'll see you later, Sakura,"_

"_Good luck, Tomomi. You stay safe,"_

_I run out of the apartment, body flickering to the rooftop of the building and making my way to the gates of Konoha._

_When I get there, Airi is already waiting for me, arms crossed over her chest. "Well it's about damn time you got here," her voice screams 'pissed', but her expression says 'amused'._

"_Sorry I don't live near the gates like you do," I retort in a sarcastic— almost _mocking _tone._

_She slowly shook her head, the wide smirk on her face eventually hidden by her pulling her dog mask over her face. "Let's just go,"_

_We both jump up on two separate trees and leap from tree to tree, as I kept a small amount of chakra flowing to my feet._

_By afternoon, we'd reached Ishigakure… or what was left of it, rather._

_The village was engulfed in flames. The structures of the buildings were practically unrecognizable as they started to give in. _Were we too late?

"_What in Kami's name…" Airi whispered, her voice trailing off before she performed several handseals and yelled out, "Water Release: Wall of water!"_

_She doused the flames of the building nearest her, leaving charred remains of what seemed to be an inn._

_I'll admit, though I don't exactly memorize the layout of this place like the back of my hand, Ishigakure definitely didn't look like this before it was victim of arson. It looked so much different from when I'd stay in inns overnight here with my team during missions._

_We quickly dispersed and searched for survivors. I felt frantic, like someone was watching me. Fear crept up my being, as I sensed a foreign chakra—no, _two_ chakra signatures behind me. They were powerful ones, at that. Why hadn't I picked up on this earlier?!_

_I turned around to see two people in black cloaks patterned with red clouds. They stood atop a white bird that hovered a few feet above the ground. One appeared to be a hunchback, or was just hunching back on the bird; the other was standing atop the bird's head._

"_Who are you?! Why have you done this to this village?" I yell out, anger taking over my being._

_The bastard on the bird's head took his hat off, sending tendrils of blond hair over one eye. My emerald eyes narrowed at his icy blue one. _(Deidara?!) _The blond jumped off the bird and smirked arrogantly at me._

"_Because I wanted to, hmm! These people are lucky they got to see the beauty of my art before they died, because art…"_

_He threw a small clay spider at me. "…is an explosion!"_

_The sound of an explosion going off nearly deafened my ears as I was thrown back from the impact of the explosive, my arms taking most of the damage. It completely burnt off most of my arm guards and singed the exposed part of my gloves._

"_Sh*t," I hiss, focusing chakra onto my fist before I slammed it down onto the ground, sending earth to rise up towards the blond. He merely jumped back onto his bird before sending an array of spiders towards me, "Katsu!"_

_I body flicker onto the roof of a crumbling house, feeling the roof give way before I fell in. This was bad… very, very bad. My only affinities were with earth and fire. I obviously can't use _fire _against him since I'm already dealing with someone who can create explosions using chakra! But judging from the handseals he's used to detonate his bombs, as well as the material he's used to create them, he's an earth-style jutsu user._

_First, I have to get out of this house before it crumbles on top of me!_

_Pieces of debris already began to fall on top of my head as smoke filled my lungs. I focus more chakra onto my fist before punching a hole through the stone wall, flinging myself through it and landing back on the ground._

_I cough and gasp for air, looking at the area surrounding me. There were corpses strewn about. _This should suffice, _I think to myself, performing an array of handseals before slamming my palm against the earth._

"_Earth Release Resurrection Technique: Corpse Soil!" I yell out. Immediately, the corpses arise and, shinobi or not, do what they can to attack the enemy. It won't last long since I know that the blond will just blow them up, but it's a solid diversion._

I wonder how Airi is holding up, _I thought, doubting that she'd been discovered… yet._

_I eye the bird they're flying on and wonder if that's explosive too. Since he's probably infused it with his chakra, right..?_

_It's a hypothesis; one that I'll need to test. I do another few handseals before yelling, "Earth Release: Shadow Clone!"_

_Several copies of me arise from the ground as I duck into an alleyway with the other clones, leaving only one in the enemy's line of sight._

_I watched as the clone performed a fireball jutsu aimed at the bird. The bird averted the attack, but the bottom part of it was singed from the attack. It's not explosive._

_Immediately, I have the clone perform another fireball jutsu aimed at the bird, which was rising further up._

_I performed the henge jutsu, disguising myself as that fireball. Almost a second before the attack missed the swiftly flying bird, I dispelled the jutsu and pulled my katana out, skewering the bird's underside as I plunged as much of my blade in as I could._

_I promptly grabbed hold of the bird from underneath by focusing my chakra on my hands and feet. Let's see how blondie's going to do when I'm in close range! If I'm close to him, he can either use taijutsu, bukijutsu or use his explosives, which will inevitably hurt him _and _his partner too._

_Focusing chakra onto my straightened palm, I pushed myself through the clay bird and onto the other side, grabbing onto the blonde's ankle, pulling him down into the clay, at the same time, pulling myself up from it._

_A tail from the hunchback lashed out at me, which I quickly deflected with the exposed blade of my protruding katana. A surge of chakra onto the soles of my feet gave me the boost I needed in order to clamber onto the bird's surface._

_Blondie tried kicking me in order to keep me down, but I managed to roll out of the way and into the vicinity of his partner, where the scorpion-like tail lashed out at me, stabbing the clay each time it missed._

_I reached into my weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai, only to have the blond effectively step on my forearm to keep me from doing that._

_The scorpion tail was pointed directly in my face, mere centimeters away, spinning dangerously like a predator closing onto its prey. I squirm, trying to free myself, though it's already futile. I'm going to die at the hands of the enemy, without a fight I can't even put up._

"_Aww, look danna! She's trying to escape, un! How cute," the blonde sarcastically cooed, grinding the heel of his foot further into my arm. He reached down and pulled my mask off, smirking._

_I defiantly glared into the icy blue eyes of my would-be executioner. "Why won't you let me fight you fairly when you've already got me outnumbered? Scared that a girl might have some tricks up her sleeve?" I spat out, hate lacing my tone._

_His amused smirk widens, "No, hmm," to my utmost surprise, he let my foot go. "But I'd like to see you try, yeah."_

"_Deidara," the hunchback impatiently snarled. The former rolled his eyes as he opened up his palm and a small clay bird flew out of it, which expanded into a much larger bird. His mysterious partner jumped on it, flying away from us._

_I sit up, glaring at him as my right arm throbbed with pain from the blast earlier and from being stepped on. It's insult to injury._

"_You're lucky, hmm! Not many people get to experience the fleeting beauty of my art…" he kneels before me, raising his palm up before me. I stare at it, mortified; it had a _mouth_ on it, along with a long tongue and teeth. "But you? You get the experience of a lifetime, un! You get to _turn into art itself_,"_

_He stands back up, laughing maniacally. _This guy is insane! _I conclude, mentally taking a moment to pat myself on the back. I used his distraction to my advantage, grabbing my katana from the clay surface and plunging it into his abdomen._

_His jaw drops open as a trail of blood ran down one side and trickled down his chin. He stares at the blade, which had protruded through his back, before staring at me. I smirk triumphantly before the blond slowly saturated into _clay_._

…_Sh*t._

_I've been had._

"_Are you done yet?" He whispers from behind me, bemusement lacing his tone._

_The blond lifts me up onto my feet using the back of my ANBU vest. I turn to face him, jumping back onto the bird's head. "I'm not going down without a fight!" I yell out, performing a handseal before yelling out, "Fire Release: Fire Senbon!"_

_Fire escapes my lips in the form of hundreds of senbon needles as he immediately tried to avert my attack by jumping onto his partner's bird. The scorpion-tail came out of hiding and deflected all of the senbon with terrifying accuracy. I reach in my weapons pouch for paper explosives, narrowing my eyes at them._

We all have to die altogether, or they won't die at all.

_I body flicker to their bird, right behind them, slamming my palm onto Deidara's back. The paper explosives automatically slithered out of my weapons pouch and covered the blonde's torso, as it did mine during the midst of the paper explosives transfer. Just as a clay spider jumped onto my face from Deidara's palm, I wrapped my arms around the blonde just as the word "Katsu!" escaped his lips._

_There wasn't enough time for me to finish my technique, but if I'm going to die like this, I'm taking somebody out with me._

_I could feel the explosions from the paper explosives rupturing my stomach, my insides and the clay bomb exploding into my face. All I heard was this deafening ringing sound in my ears. The pain was intense as I felt the vibrations from his chest echoing into mine as he yelled out in surprise and, hopefully, pain._

_The waves of complete agony washed over me as blood ran down my body. The last thing I saw was the burnt Akatsuki cloak floating before me as the blond and the hunchback managed to escape critical damage as they perched on the bird. They flew away from the remains of Ishigakure village and into the distance, towards Sunagakure._

_Me?_

_I was free-falling._

_I died in vain, albeit in the honor of my village, Konohagakure._

_All eventually faded to black._

_Beep. Beep. Bee—_

I sat up, my palm on my alarm clock. "What the f*ck," I whisper, running a hand through my scarlet hair. _That was such a weird ass dream, _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back. Those episodes of that ninja show I used to watch as a kid came to bite me back in the ass.

...What was it called again?

Oh, yeah.

_Menma_.

Apparently, my midnight feasting had bitten me back in the ass, too.

I am never pigging out like that ever again.

Well, not during the middle of the night, I'm not. But _still_—never _again_.

**What's the one thing better than a filler except for an important chapter? A **_**long **_**filler! :D I like how this story is already AU, but Tomomi's AU is the general non-AU type of thing, which is already Naruto's non-AU version of AU (Road to Ninja anyone?). So I got to exercise dem non-AU muscles for a bit. Please, please review? Was Tomomi sue-ish in this one? Was Deidara OOC? Also; I may or may not have possibly created a huge plothole for myself by having Tomomi paired up with Gaara. Lol, this'll be quite a challenge.**

**~jellydonut16~**

**P.S. *whispers* …review *wink, wink* *nudge, nudge* I wish to know what you think of the story so far!**

**P.P.S. Check out my other stories? Drop a review on multi-chaptered ones I may have stopped writing on and give me the heads up if you still want me to continue it! IT SHALL BE SUMMER SOON**

**P.P.P.S. This chapter may or may not have significant relevance with future chapters.**


	46. Chapter 46: Oops

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Oops

It was pretty weird during breakfast today, since it was only Aunt Chizu and I having breakfast this morning. I swung my legs back and forth from underneath my seat, nervously eating the salad on my plate as she gave me these _really _weird glances.

Oh, Kami. _What if she found out about me and Gaara? About how I went for a midnight eating spree last night with Airi? _I mentally panicked, albeit keeping an elegantly stoic demeanor lest she notices something was up. _Ah, sh*t, I'm _blushing_._

I put my fork down and cover my face, trying to make it seem like I was just chewing my food, which I was. Kami, I have the worst poker face _ever_. _Never go gambling when you're older, _I had concluded, mentally patting myself on the back.

Okay. Finishing up now.

I scoop all of my eggs up into my mouth in one go. _Nailed it—_

"Tomomi," Aunt Chizu called out.

_Sh*t._

My face reddens even more as I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to chew it all down. "Yes, Aunt Chizu?" I ask after I finished swallowing the eggs.

"Don't make any plans tonight. We have an important dinner to attend."

"Hai," I mumble, staring at my hands. We sit in silence for several seconds before I eventually stood up from the table, grabbed my bag and walked out.

I jogged down the driveway, just as the oh-so familiar red van came to a stop in front of the gates. I get in, utterly ecstatic to just _be _in it. _Kami, I feel ridiculous, but I don't care._

Then there he was. The cause (I think) of my happiness. "Morning, guys," I greet, grinning cheekily at the redhead beside me. There was a small smirk on his pale lips as he inconspicuously laced his fingers with mine as I close the door beside me.

"Hey," Temari greets, glancing up from her phone momentarily to smile at me.

"Can we go to a drive-through? I'm feeling pretty hungry," Kankuro says, patting his stomach as he pulled onto the main street, his other hand firmly on the steering wheel. He promptly placed his tummy-patting hand upon the steering wheel again.

_Aha! He can't drive with one hand, _I thought, snuggling into the boy beside me. "Mickey D's?" I suggest, fixing the backpack on my lap lest it falls into the pit of nothingness that is also known as the floor of the van. You never know, though, right? Things that fall down there seem to completely disappear _all the f*cking time_. It's practically a portal to another dimension. Kankuro really needs to vacuum the van, seriously.

"Yeah. Man, I've been craving for a sausage egg McMuffin since _yesterday_,"

"Wow. Yesterday," Gaara deadpanned, raising a nonexistent eyebrow at his brother.

"I know. It's a struggle. A struggle that soon shall end!" Kankuro began to cackle maniacally, driving to the nearest McDonald's.

Temari shook her head at him. "Get me an iced coffee."

I laugh at his antics, feeling Gaara shift slightly so I could lean into him a little bit more.

So I did, staring out the window. _That was such a foreboding dream last night— what could it mean..?_

Truth be told, it was unsettling dreaming about the blond idiot since a) I already knew he has some sort of knowledge with bombs, b) he _tried to kill me in my dream _and c) I have science with him first thing in the morning. What's he gonna do, kill me for rejecting his kiss?

I inwardly laugh nervously.

Kami, I feel like I'm gonna go into cardiac arrest.

After a while, Kankuro pulled up to a gas station that had a McDonald's branch. To his disappointment, the drive-through was temporarily closed due to technical problems. But Kankuro didn't let that sway his spirits in the conquest of the hunt for a sausage egg McMuffin; he got out of the van after parking it in front of another parked car and marched right into the fast food restaurant.

"D'you think he heard me, let alone _listened _to me when I told him what I wanted to drink?" Temari spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest as she leant back against the seat.

Gaara and I stared at her blankly, almost expectantly. Several seconds pass.

"Dammit, Kankuro!" She exclaims, getting out of the van through the driver's seat door.

As soon as she's out of sight, Gaara suddenly grabs my chin and captures my lips with his own, practically taking my breath away. I wrap my arms around his torso, deepening the kiss as our faces flushed bright red. I can feel the heat emanating from his body as his chest presses up against mine, our eyes fluttering closed.

He pulls away to run the tip of his nose down my cheek, trailing it down to my neck. I squeak at the unexpected gesture, earning a chuckle from him. _Dayumn, _I thought to myself, running my hands through his soft red hair.

Gaara nuzzles my neck and I inadvertently pull back in surprise. "W-What're you doing?" I mutter. He brushes my hair to the side and presses his lips against my exposed skin, grazing his upper front teeth against it.

"Whoa," I whisper, arching my neck so he could have better access to it. I almost sigh in contentment.

But then, Temari happened.

"Aha!" She yells, snapping us out of our, uh… intimate moment? We practically shoved each other off the other, faces flushed and slightly sweaty from the lack of air-conditioning since Kankuro turned the engine off.

"I _knew _there was something going on between you two!" She exclaims, before throwing her hands up. "_Finally_, you two are together! Just as I thought it'd take divine intervention for _you_," she points a neatly manicured finger at Gaara, whose face is as red as a tomato. "To make the first move on Tomomi,"

"Don't tell Kankuro; don't tell _anyone_," he warned her, a sliver of edge in his tone. Temari immediately backs off.

"Yeah, of course I won't." She says, raising her hands in a defensive manner. "How long have you two been together, anyway?"

"…Uh, a little over thirteen hours?" I suggest, counting the hours on my fingers.

She gets in the van, gushing, "Ah, young love!"

I sweatdrop. "Temari, you're only older than us by, what, two years?"

"Tomato, to-mah-to," she drawled, crossing her arms over her chest smugly.

"The f*ck does _that _have to do with anything?" Gaara grumbled, obviously still pissed that Temari found out about 'us' so quickly. She smirked.

Several minutes later in awkward silence, Kankuro exits the restaurant, bringing forth with him plastic bags of joy… and food. Mostly food.

He handed Temari her drink and she promptly begins to stir the whipped cream with her straw. Gaara tensed against me slightly, possibly anticipating Temari backing out on her word.

But Kankuro was oblivious, hungrily scarfing down not _one_, but _two_ sausage egg McMuffins at the same time. "You might get late for class," I say, eyeing him cautiously. "It's in Suna, after all."

Now that I think about it, this pick-up and drop-off routine was so unreasonable. Suna to Konoha; Konoha to Suna— lather, rinse, repeat. They must really value me as a friend! Oh, Kami— now I feel bad for all the time and gas money they waste just to pick me up.

I huff, leaning into the seat. _I'll have to talk to them about that later, _I concluded, mentally patting myself on the back after b*tch-slapping myself because I failed to realize sooner.

Gaara managed to inconspicuously snake his arm around my waist, tightening his grip.

I stare out the window, my thoughts subconsciously drifting over to that weird ass dream I had again, paling at the prospect of having to see Deidara again later. I wrung my hands together, knotting my brows in worry.

"You okay?" Gaara whispered softly, only for me to hear. I nod.

"He won't find out." The redhead assured me, giving me a nudge and a small comforting smile. I smile back— but Kankuro finding out wasn't the thing worrying me. They say that dreams have a meaning… right?

Then what does it mean if I were to witness my own death?

* * *

Kankuro stopped in front of the gates to the Academy upon Gaara's insistence. The latter walked me through the gates and up the driveway, my backpack slung over one of his shoulders. I blushed a bright red just being beside him, as we walked hand-in-hand with other students casting quick glances at us before continuing with their daily lives.

"So… what do we do after school today?" He asked me, a small smirk gracing his pale lips.

I furrow my brows, doing a mental rain check. "I'm not free today. Aunt Chizu's making me come home right away. It's some fancy-schmancy dinner again." I turn to look at him. "Gaara, don't pick me up after school anymore."

He raised a nonexistent brow at me. "And why not?"

"As much as I'd love for you to, I just realized how far you guys go just to pick me up and stuff." I huff, frowning slightly. "The cost of gas must be a pain in the ass for Kankuro."

"You don't see us complaining about it, though." He reasoned.

"I— …Touché. But still; it kinda bothers me. Now, I feel all guilty and crap."

His grip on my hand tightens, "Don't be. It's practically the only time we get to hang out anymore."

I sigh, "I don't know, it still makes me feel bad that you guys waste so much time and money just to pick me up and drop me off at school every morning. You live in _Suna_; it's an entirely different city."

"But you're worth it." He states, his smirk widening.

"Am I," I stated more than asked, staring at the front doors to the school's main building.

"I guess our walk ends here," Gaara says as we came to a halt. He handed my backpack back to me, which I slung over my shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

He cupped one side of my face and leaned in to softly press his lips against mine. My heart practically skipped a beat as heat rose up to my cheeks. He pulled away, only to let his lips linger for several seconds before he waved goodbye and made his way back down to the gates.

I turned around with a goofy smile on my face after watching his retreating form for a few moments to make my way to my locker, only to find myself face-to-face with… Yeah, you guessed it.

Deidara.

And he didn't look too happy.

_Oops..?_

* * *

I shuddered for the umpteenth time as another wave of killing intent rolled off him like a snake molting its skin. I'm sure the others around us felt it too, because they started shuddering along with me around the same time I felt it.

Deidara was quiet.

_Too _quiet.

And when someone who's normally verbal and physically abusive when pissed becomes eerily quiet, you know that they are _really_, _really_ pissed.

Like, _beyond _Mu Cephei pissed.

A bead of sweat rolled down my brow. It feels like judgment day.

I'm on the verge of hyperventilating again. Everything feels so… _murderous_.

How angry I was yesterday was _nothing _compared to this level of pissed— it was the level 9000 boss version of my anger.

_Damn it, _I thought to myself, unable to regain my focus on today's science lesson yet again. _Why do I feel like I _cheated _on him or something? Like I betrayed him?_

An ominous shudder makes its way down my spine. Quiet Deidara is scary as f*ck. I never ever want to piss him off to this extent ever again, though _technically_, I didn't do anything wrong! Did I..?

My emerald eyes daren't dart over to Deidara's seething form directly, lest I melt into a puddle of nothingness under the intensity of his glare. _Kami, if looks could kill…_

"Alright, class," Kakashi-sensei spoke up, thankfully drawing my attention. Let's hope I can keep it that way. "Since you're all sitting in pairs, we'll have a seatwork,"

He stood up and began writing various problems on the board, some of which, I noticed, could be solved using the formulas we've learnt last week. "Four problems, four sheets of paper; everybody solves two formulas each, no exceptions."

I pull a pad of paper out of my backpack and ripped it out of the plastic covering, feeling my heart race (not in a good way either) at the sheer hostility between us.

"Here," I say, handing him two sheets of paper. He takes it, not even looking me in the eye. "You take problems one and two, I'll take three and four, okay?"

"Hn," he sneered, turning away from me.

I propped my elbows on the desk and massaged my temples, feeling a migraine coming on. Eventually, I got started on the problems, and with the help of a little derivation of the formula for speed, I was able to finish the first one in five minutes.

I have to admit; the fourth one pretty much stumped me.

'_Cars A and B each moving at the rate of 40 km/hr and 60 km/hr respectively are approaching one another on a straight highway. For how many seconds will they meet if they were initially 4 km. apart?'_

Well, sh*t. Huh, so what I need to find is the time. I scribble the formula for speed onto the piece of paper and transpose time to the same side as velocity. Divide both sides of the equation with velocity. Left side has two velocities in the equation, so it gets cancelled out, leaving only time. The right side has distance divided by velocity.

Okay, what now?

From the corner of my eye, I sneak a look at Deidara. His rage had subdued a bit, only enough for him to stop emanating killing intent strong enough to affect everyone around us; only me.

Good enough..?

I sigh, staring at the sheet of paper before me as I twirled the pen around in my left hand. _I don't remember Kakashi-sensei teaching this one before…_ I thought to myself, my migraine only becoming more and more imminent.

As a last resort, I turn to the people sitting behind us. It was guy wearing a sanitary mask like Kakashi-sensei with circle-lensed sunglasses a lá John Lennon, and another guy with brown hair as long as Deidara's and the same pale eyes as one of the chicks who hangs out with Sakura.

"Hi," I say sheepishly, standing up from my seat as I pulled my paper for problem four off the desk. "Do you know how to solve for problem four?"

Guy in the glasses barely spares me a glance as he rattles off the solution. I write it down, opting to solve for it myself.

Then, I took a double take at him. "Hey, I always see you hanging out with Zetsu by the AV room," I say, grinning at him. He slowly turns to face me.

"Aa. I'm Aburame Shino. Zetsu and I usually manage the AV system of the school."

I stretch my hand out to him, "I'm Hayashi Tomomi, nice to meet you."

He hesitantly reaches out for my hand before briefly shaking it and recoiling just as fast. I stare at the dude with long hair expectantly.

The dude straightens up and looks me dead in the eye. "I'm Hyuuga Neji. I'm the president of the kyūdō club here."

"Archery, huh? That's cool,"

"Aa."

Silence.

I sweat-drop. Trust me to be the only person who tries to strike a conversation with normally taciturn people.

"You two seem to get along, huh?" I spew out, laughing nervously.

"We do; we learnt that this year's students would be chosen based on who dislikes who. Instead of Kakashi avoiding pairing the two together, he chose to wreak havoc and pair them up." Neji explained, boring his ivory white eyes into me.

"Last year, it was based on who liked whom. Uchiha over there was practically living a nightmare for a year." Shino added, crossing his arms over his chest as he leant back against the chair.

"O-Oh? Okay, I better get to work. Thanks for the help," I say, turning back to face my desk.

After a few more moments of problem-solving, I'd finished my quota of the seatwork, hesitantly turning to Deidara, but avoiding looking him straight in the eye nonetheless. "Deidara, are you done?"

He silently shoves the two sheets of paper towards me, grunting in response.

We spent the rest of the period in an awkward silence after I'd stapled in our work and handed it in to Kakashi-sensei. Eventually, the period came to an end, which led us to our music class for today.

I inwardly groaned at the prospect of having to be in the same room as Deidara two classes in a row. Deidara abruptly stood up, roughly shoving me aside as I gathered up my things. I glared at his retreating form.

_You know what? I don't feel guilty anymore. _Fine_. _Be _that way._ I inwardly yelled from behind him, trying to suppress the undeniable urge to hit him over and over with my science textbook. My palm twitched, promptly curling into tightly balled fists.

"Calm thy mammaries," I whisper to myself, slinging the backpack over my shoulder as I followed the outgoing current of students out of the classroom.

Dammit. For a private school, it's pretty crowded here. Are there _that _many rich kids that live here?!

Sure, Sakura and I have lived here in Konoha for as long as I could remember, but the only reason we moved schools shortly after we graduated from Konoha Prep and transferred to Hidden Leaf Convent was because Sakura got into a fight (full-out _brawl_) with some French chick named 'Genevieve' over some guy from the Kusagakure School for the Academically Gifted named Ayumu like he was some kind of plaything. Aunt Chizu, enraged, moved us out of Hidden Leaf Convent and moved us to Konoha Academy after freshman year.

Ayumu apparently came to visit Hidden Leaf Convent to visit a relative of his (his sister, I think?) over the summer, albeit the fact that HLC is technically an all-girls school.

Since our old school was near the outskirts of Konoha, bordering Kusagakure, he flitted back and forth and two-timed 'Genevieve' and Sakura until… yeah, the cat-fight that left 'Genevieve' with a broken nose and a black eye while my pinkette cousin practically left unscathed.

Konoha Academy and its local counterpart, Konoha High, were more centered in the heart of the city for convenience, so Sakura and I never knew anyone from the area and vice versa. …Not that I had any friends from HLC, anyway. People there were pretty sh*tty.

I snap out of my thoughts upon seeing the double-doors that led to the music room come into view. My stomach churned. Though I would've normally enjoyed music class, under _these _circumstances (cough, Deidara, cough), it was truly unnerving.

The moment I walk in, it's just this awkward tension between us as he eyes me like a hawk as I scan the room for a guitar to play, be it acoustic or electric. I spot one from the other end of the room and make a beeline for it, glancing at my science partner from the corner of my eye. Yep, he still has his harem of Busty Girls draped over him like navy blue scarves that just happen to have really huge boobs.

I turn away, grabbing the electric guitar off the stand and hooking it up to one of the amps as everyone else began to stream in the room.

Alright. Take deep breaths and ignore the blond that's probably plotting my demise right this moment.

_Ignore, ignore, ignore._

A shudder runs down my spine.

That _dream_.

That foreboding, creepy dream. It wasn't a prophecy or a vision for my death, was it..?

_Ignoreignoreignoreignoreignore._

"Hey! Tomomi!" I glance up to see Akihiro calling my name. I give him a half-hearted wave as I tried to occupy myself with adjusting the knobs on the amps according to my liking. Ne, I think that the last person who used this had _no _idea how to use it at all. Bass turned all the way down, but with treble cranked up to the very top?

Not really a nice setting if you aren't going to be picking individual notes, such as basic bar chords. The sound would seem _way _off, even _if _the guitar is in tune… because it just doesn't suit open chords. If you're going to be using bar chords, turn the bass up and let it empower you— okay. Got a little carried away there. I shall stop. _Now._

"C'mere," Akihiro says, motioning me over to his friends (I think?). I nod, tugging my guitar jack off and slinging the guitar strap over my shoulder lest someone takes the guitar in my absence.

"What's up?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

He motions to his friends. "These are my friends. That's Emiko," he pointed to a ravenette adjusting the synths. She gave me a small smile.

"That's Hayate," he continues, pointing to a guy with spiky yet floppy strawberry blonde locks and blue eyes who was tuning a guitar. "The douchebag over there's Ryuu,"

Ryuu was sitting by the drum kit, twirling drumsticks in his hands, his light brown hair styled into a coif. He smirked at me, "Hey, there,"

"And this loser is Yoshi," Akihiro finally says, motioning towards the blond clutching a mic.

"Hey," I mumble, feeling a tad bit sheepish.

"We were wondering if you'd like to form a band with us." Emiko spoke up, forest green eyes glimmering with a hint of mischievousness.

"For what?" I can't help but ask, raising an eyebrow at her as I nervously shifted my guitar to a more comfortable position.

Yoshi shrugged his shoulders. "For jamming in music class in general, I guess,"

"And maybe we can play in school events, too," Hayate suggests, his eyes widening dreamily at the prospect.

"Okay..?" I mutter, fully aware of all five of them very much staring intently at me.

"Really?!" Yoshi blurts out, grinning at me.

"Yeah, sure—"

"No! You will have to guitar battle with me first! Winner gets to be lead guitarist!" Hayate cuts in, pointing a finger at me.

I smirk. "You're on."

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Does it hurt?" A Busty Girl known as Hikaru coos in Deidara's ear, coyly tracing circles on the Iwa native's chest.

"The f*ck are you even doing here, un?" He grumbles, swatting her neatly manicured hand away. "You aren't even in this class."

"But for you, I could be," she whispers, licking the lobe of his ear. He shrugs her off, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just leave me the f*ck alone, Hikaru. I told you already— it's over, yeah! Now go away," The Busty Girl ignores him, gliding her fingers over where his heart is supposed to be.

"Deidara-kun's in quite a bad mood, isn't he? Now that the girl he's got his eyes on isn't single anymore. It hurts, doesn't it?" Hikaru gasps, sarcasm and fake sweetness dripping from her words.

"Shut up, hmm. And it doesn't. I couldn't care less about that loser, un,"

She chuckles darkly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You just keep on telling yourself that. Let's see where denial will take you, Deidara-kun. I'll be waiting. I always will,"

And with that, she pulls away and saunters out of the classroom, intending to leave the blond to his thoughts. Also, for more dramatic impact. _Diva _by Beyonce, anyone?

It seems that the red-haired whore may be of some use after all. Once Deidara realizes that he how _pathetic _and basic Tomomi really is, _he'll _realize that he was meant to be with Hikaru all along! _Perfect!_

But she just wanted to savor the moment to drive a verbal dagger into his heart, _just _a teensy little payback for the emotional (and physical—damn you, Tomomi) damage she's endured the past few days thanks to some meddling little tramp who doesn't know her place.

Who is _she _to just show up and take Deidara away from her?! How _dare _she, the stupid little c*nt.

After she's through with the newbie, she'll have Deidara _all to herself_. The other Busty Girls never really stood a chance at being his _girlfriend _anyway. No way in hell.

Even if they did, they'd have to get through the enraged Hikaru first. Which they won't!

Hikaru began to giggle darkly to herself, slipping her hands into her blazer's pockets.

Ohoho, how she couldn't wait any longer…

* * *

_Flashback…_

"_What's your problem?" Tomomi hissed as Deidara pressed her against the wall of the locker room's showering area._

_He leant into her ear, the faint smell of his Dove shampoo attacking his senses as he whispered, "Remember that I can take advantage of you whenever I want, un!"_

_She visibly stiffened, her body suddenly going rigid at the mere thought. "What's this 'Gaara' dude to you, hmm?"_

"_I told you already, Deidara! He's my friend, baka!"_

"_Liar, liar; pants on fire, yeah,"_

* * *

And in Deidara's mind at the moment, that's exactly what she was. A liar. (Not that he was any better.)

'_Friend' my ass, hmm! _He thought to himself as he stared (glared) down at her. _I'll confront her after class, then, yeah._

He suddenly stiffened. Why did it… hurt? _Emotionally_?!

Why did he even _care_?

_Oh_, Kami, _no_— was he actually _jealous_?

_Impossibru, hmm!_

Iwa no Deidara never gets jealous.

N-E-V-E-R.

Iwa no Deidara always gets the b*tchez.

A-L-W-A-Y-S.

Tch, normally, he wouldn't even give two sh*ts if any of his fangirls made out with someone else right in front of him. In fact, he'd just tell them to get a f*cking room/closet and get laid.

But _this _redhead in particular was no fangirl.

She's 'a fellow member of the Akatsuki'.

Deidara was pretty conflicted at the moment; he wasn't sure if he wanted to throttle her or drag her all the way to his bedroom.

But he was pretty sure he wanted to beat her f*cking _boyfriend _into a bloody pulp. And that he wanted to punch himself in the face because he was _so_ pissed.

How dare she screw with his emotions!

He snorted as he looked down at her; she's hanging out with that loser Hiro and his loser friends. _The hell are they even doing, un?_

* * *

**Tomomi's POV**

Hayate valiantly wields his guitar as Ryuu and Akihiro accompany him for his chosen battle cry/song. I cross my arms over my chest, feeling slightly intimidated. _Kami, he's playing Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson!_

Ne, Cliffs of Dover is this _reaaally _gnarly instrumental song; it's a classic.

Out of slight desperation, I panic and start wracking my brain for something relatively skilled enough to stand a chance against Cliffs of Dover. What do I have in my arsenal?!

Tch, that isn't the only problem either. What if there was a fairly difficult song that could rival Hayate's, but would sound _completely _off without backing tracks? I doubt they'd know the song I've chosen.

Could I pull it off sans backing track and accompaniment?

…Okay, I have a battle cry/song in mind now. It's been something Gaara and I have been working on for a while— Temari hasn't fully learnt the drumming for it yet because the double-bass pedals kinda had her stumped, and Kankuro hasn't even touched the bass lines because he's still stuck with the bass tabs for In Dying Days by As Blood Runs Black.

Instead of using thick picks, he prefers to 'SLAPPA DA BASS' the old fashioned way.

Dammit, Kankuro.

I frown, tuning my axe to drop D.

Hayate's fingers are skillfully gliding across the fretboard as he nails _each _and _every _note perfectly.

…Can I forfeit?

_No. No! I shouldn't even be considering forfeiting! I am the _lead guitarist _of Shukaku, Kami dammit, and I am _great_! _I conclude, mentally patting myself on the back after giving myself a proper b*tch-slap for considering bringing dishonor to my band by chickening out like a wimp.

…Oh, Kami, I'm turning into Lee.

I sigh, watching Hayate finish those last few notes with professionalism that I can only say must've been acquired through years of practice… well, longer than I've been playing, anyway.

"Your turn, your turn!" Hayate exclaims, grinning at me.

"Hey! I'm at a handicap, here. You guys probably don't even know the song I'll be playing."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?" Yoshi asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

I glance over at him, raising an eyebrow. "Impassion by Polyphia,"

He throws his hands up in the air, "Yep, you're right; I don't know it."

"Told you so," I mutter, rolling my eyes. "Wait, why isn't the teacher here yet..?"

"Oh, him? He always ditches most second periods in favor of drowning himself in his sorrows with coffee-spiked alcohol," Emiko pipes up, a smirk on her face.

"You mean alcohol-spiked coffee," Ryuu corrects.

"_No_, there's more vodka in that sh*t than there is caffeine." She retorts, laughing at the music teacher's misfortunes. I mean, really— 'drowning himself in his sorrows'? With coffee?

That's kinda sad, even for _me_; and I drown my sorrows by drinking half my weight in the form of Mountain Dew.

Ah, I love Mountain Dew.

Akihiro claps his hands together, "Alright! Let's see what you've got, Tomomi!"

So I showed them what I had.

Needless to say, I wound up being rhythm guitarist.

At least I know how far I've got to go before I'm on par with Hayate. I'll need to better myself at my craft, not only for myself; but for Gaara, Kankuro and Temari— for Shukaku.

* * *

**such review  
many follow/favorite  
much thanks  
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**~jellydonut16~**

**P.S. Sorry for the incredibly late update. My internet's been a freaking jerk for roughly three weeks and I couldn't log onto FF.n and update as soon as I wanted to.**

**P.P.S. Also, I was off my rocker while writing this chapter. I'm pretty sure it's the collective feeling of mental combustion from reading this story from the very beginning (oh god why...) along with its reviews. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**P.P.P.S. What if I told you this story absolutely _requires _a sequel?**


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